Riptides
by iceonurie
Summary: A crossover between the Hunger Games and Percy Jackson universes, with the characters from Percy Jackson/The Heroes of Olympus and the setting being Panem.
1. SYNOPSIS

_A crossover between the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus Universe and the Hunger Games._

Percy Jackson has managed to avoid the Reaping for five years already. This time, he isn't reaped, but his cousin, Kassi, is. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it means killing himself once he's gotten rid of all the other tributes.

Annabeth Chase only really cares about two people: her sister Elaine, and Luke Castellan. Both her and Luke's siblings were victims of previous Games. When she is reaped, she believes that she will find a way to win and come back home. But Luke is suddenly standing by her side, shaking her hand. Will she win, or save him instead?

They don't know it yet, but they, along with this year's tributes, are separate parts of a puzzle bigger than they can even begin to imagine. Somewhere under the Capitol's radar, rebellion is brewing. The only thing missing now is a final push...

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ The Heroes of Olympus or The Hunger Games. All rights go to Rick Riordan and Suzanne Collins.**


	2. CHAPTER I: PERCY

I wake up with a sharp elbow in my back, hair in my face, and a knee in my stomach. I blink as the pale sunlight streaks through the tears in the faded purple curtains and rub my eyes, careful not to disturb Kassi or Tyson sleeping soundly at each of my sides. I get off the mattress, gently pushing away their limbs and smoothing down Kassi's wild hair. I creep slowly towards the door, making sure I don't step on any faulty floorboards. Just as I crack the door open, I hear the shuffle of bedsheets and Kassi's voice, heavy with sleep.  
'Percy?' I can see her slowly getting up.  
'Yes?' I whisper.  
'Are you going fishing?' She asks softly.  
'Someone's got to do it,' I say, opening the door a bit wider.  
Then she asks the dreaded question: 'Can I come?'  
I can't say no. It's Reaping Day. Today, we are all a bit closer. A bit kinder. A bit more giving.  
I want to be alone, to say no, as I sometimes do to Kassi, but she's smart enough to know I can't considering the circumstances of this day.  
So I just nod.  
Her big smile brightens her drowsy face, and I suddenly don't regret letting her come along so much after all.  
'Come on,' I say, 'But just try to be as quiet as you can.'  
We let Tyson have some well needed sleep, and quietly slip out of the cramped room. We tiptoe down the stairs and into the doorway. I grab my net and trident, while Kassi takes her fishing pole and the oars.  
It's quite early, six thirty maximum, and I can count on the people of the Bucket to be asleep, if not, then cowering silently in their homes as they pray for the best.  
I look through the fruit I managed to get in exchange for some oysters last week. It's mostly gone now, all but for a banged up apple and a couple of oranges that are just starting to grow mold. I'd gotten lucky that day. The Peacekeeper truck had driven over a ditch, and the crates had tumbled out, spilling all their contents onto the street and right at my feet.  
I pick up the apple and grab one of the knives in our drawers and chop it in half. Then I return to the hallway, where Kassi has taken out the boat and is surprisingly not making any noise. I hand her one half of the apple.  
'Never work on an empty stomach,' I say, imitating our mothers' voices so well it seems to take all of Kassi's self control not to laugh.  
I bite into the apple, and though it might taste a little funny, it's actually nice to have something to eat.  
We finish our breakfast hurriedly, then I help Kassi haul the boat out of its closet. We hold it above our heads, Kassi's held higher above hers seeing as she's much shorter than I am.  
We manage to get the front door unlocked and walk out into the streets of the Bucket. The sand is hot under our feet as we make our ways down the rows of houses, closer to the Pier, and thus, closer to water. There are no seagulls squawking in the sky this morning. It's almost like they can sense the fear and hopelessness emanating from the District. From Panem itself. A breeze blows, tickling our tanned faces, making me momentarily forget why we're all so sullen. It's a beautiful day to die. Of course there's no guarantee I will, but the odds are definitely not in my favor this year.  
After my father and uncle disappeared, I was forced to sign up for tesserae, seeing as I was the only one that could. I entered my name eight times on my first year, but this year I've entered my name a total of forty eight times. That means that there are forty eight slips of paper with the name Percy Jackson carefully written on them.  
Kassi sighs deeply.  
'You okay?' I ask just as we enter the Pearl area. The houses here are relatively larger and more polished, and there's less clutter in the streets.  
We pass by Bryer's Bait Shop. I remember walking in for the first time with my father, so excited at the prospect that I'd be learning how to fish.  
'I'm fine. I just wish we didn't have to do it.' She says.  
'I thought you wanted to come fishing,' I say, still trying to pretend today is a normal day.  
She turns to face me, which seems difficult as she's holding the front of the boat, but she manages it. Her brow is furrowed and her eyes are fixed on my face.  
'You know what I mean, Percy,' she breathes out, exasperated.  
She turns back to the front and we continue our trek. Of course I know what she means. I've thought about it ever since my first reaping five years ago. Now I've almost made it. I'm almost through. I hope my luck lasts.  
We enter the Pier, and the streets are already buzzing here. Of course they are. What do these people have to fear? They never have to worry about having a bite of food to eat, their families well fed and their means of income stable. Houses here are even bigger and more ornate than the ones back at the Pearl.  
'Keep your head low,' I say to Kassi, 'Merge with the crowd.'  
Even though her back is to me, I know she's rolling her eyes.  
'I know, Percy. This isn't the first time I've done this.'  
Ten minutes pass, and we're finally by Crystal Cove, where we set the boat down and stretch our sore arms. I still don't understand why it's still called Crystal Cove when it was all destroyed over a century ago when a giant wave hit part of District 4. Before that, Four had a supply of crystals it could sell to the Capitol. I sit down in the wet sand and make sure the knots of my net are tight enough, while Kassi sets the oars into place. It's surprising how strong she is despite her petiteness. She hasn't bothered with tying her disheveled brown hair, letting the messy waves tumble way past her shoulders. Her face is scrunched up in concentration, causing the freckles on her face to bunch together. Looks wise, you wouldn't really guess we were related.  
I stand up and pat the sand off my shorts. Kassi gets in the boat and I ask: 'Ready?'  
She nods yes, and I push with all my might until it's afloat. I lift in one leg then the other, and I'm in. With so many other ships around, we go unnoticed as we start rowing away from the shore, where more of the fish gather.  
Kassi gazes up at the sky, her expression dreamy.  
'Do you ever wonder what happened to them?' She hangs her arm on the side of the boat, her slender fingers touching the water. I know who she means by "them": our fathers.  
'All the time,' I reply.  
'Do you remember the day they left? Did anything seem off to you?' She asks. She's already asked me over a thousand times. This is routine by now.  
I know what she's thinking. She's still holding onto the hope that they're alive. That they simply managed to pass through the barrier and sail away safely. But I know better. Even if they had left, there is nothing beyond Panem, just endless ocean stretching for miles and miles.  
But Kassi is right. What happened to them was no accident. I can remember clearly what my dad said to me on that day five years ago:  
'The gulls fly free. Someday we will too.' He'd ruffled my hair and given me a hug before heading off with Uncle Triton, who was Kassi's father. He on the other hand, had given me a pearl. I don't know what was so special about it, but I kept it anyway, in a small wooden box I kept between the wall and the mattress we slept on. I'd simply assumed they were acting weird because it was my twelfth birthday. That maybe they were off to catch a special fish for dinnner. I was wrong. We'd never seen them again after that day.  
'No. They were going fishing, just as usual.' There's no need for me to give her false hope. She's only fourteen. She should be concentrating on her schoolwork and her job scraping barnacles off fishing boats every afternoon.  
She looks so heartbroken, and it pains me to lie to her, but what choice do I have? I barely know more than she does.  
'Okay. Here's good,' I say and we drop our anchor. It's not a real anchor, because we could never possibly afford one, but we get by by using a makeshift one: a heavy rock tied to a length of rope.  
We gear up. I hand Kassi the net and grab my trident. The fishing rod is for smaller fish. We want a substantial meal for tonight. To celebrate that fact that our family is still as together as it can be.  
'Ready?' I ask and grab her hand.  
'Ready.'  
We jump into the water, sinking like two stones to the bottom, startling a school of fish that swim away in all directions.  
We are in deep enough, and the only thing I can hear is the sound of my blood rushing in my ears. I've always enjoyed being underwater. I like how all the sounds around me are muffled. How freely I can float around. How I can forget about anything and everything, even the Reaping.  
Kassi points to some very large coral, and I nod. We swim towards it and hide behind its branchlike extensions.

I spot some large fish making their way closer to the coral, and I tense. Kassi probably sees them at the same time I do. There's no mistaking it: a school of tuna fish. The prospect of having tuna fish for dinner is exciting to us Bucket kids. At this point, we just have to wait. We aren't professional fisherman. We just do what we can to get the job done and not starve.  
The group approaches us, randomly swimming left and right, up and down. The net is big enough, and there's a large rock not far away from our hiding spot, a passageway between the two separating them.  
I have an idea. I tap Kassi's shoulder. And point to myself, the net, then the rock. We've been under for barely a minute, but it feels like forever. I've trained myself to hold my breath for at least five, but it's Kassi I'm worried about. We'll have to be quick.  
Fortunately, she understands and nods her agreement. I grab one end of the net then swiftly swim over to the rock, hoping I haven't scared anything off.  
The tuna at the bottom should fall right into our trap. A few more seconds and they're here. They ram in full force into the net, and Kassi and I swim closer to tighten it. I think we might've caught two, and I can't help the pride I feel at the moment. The fish are struggling. I take my trident from where it's hanging on my back and stab them twice. Not a very professional method, but it hasn't failed me yet.  
Grinning, both Kassi and I let the water carry us to the surface. We emerge from the water, gasping and laughing.  
'Mom and Aunt Sally will be ecstatic!' She exclaims as we swim over to the boat.  
'Tuna on Reaping Day.' I say. It seems like the universe is apologizing, trying to balance the bad with something good.  
I throw our dinner into the boat and let Kassi use my hand for leverage. Once she's in, I grab on to the edge of the boat, praying the whole thing won't tip over. It's happened only twice so far, and I'm thankful this isn't the third. I manage to make it safely aboard, and I grab the oars. Kassi is staring longingly at the unmoving fish. I take in her sunken cheeks, her bony wrists, her protruding collarbones, and I feel sorry for her. For us.  
Sudden anger flares through me as I start rowing back to the shore by Crystal Cove.  
Sudden movement by the mass of rock catches my eye. A flash of red hair, bobbing up and down.  
'Kassi, throw the anchor!' I hiss, my eyes still trailed on the red.  
She looks at me like I've completely lost it.  
'Percy, what...'  
'Now.' I cut her off.  
I don't see a boat around, and no one would venture out into the vast expanse of the sea with no boat. She's about five miles away from the shore. We're about six. If I swim in her direction as fast as I can, I might catch up with her. She doesn't see us.  
Kassi drops our anchor and I turn to her.  
'Stay here,' I order, but she's still looking at me confusedly.  
'Don't move. Just stay.'  
I hear her turn away then mumble something about her not being an animal.  
I take a deep breath and jump in. It's a clean dive. I make no sound as I swim in her direction. I can finally see pale legs kicking forward. She swims right past me. She keeps going, and I follow her. Suddenly, she's gone. I look around confusedly. My mouth opens and a trail of bubbles swims to the surface. Where did she go?  
I swim a bit further, towards where I last saw her, and I finally understand. There's an indentation in the rock, just big enough for one person to fit through. I look back at the surface, and decide to trust Kassi. She can take care if herself while I'm gone awhile. I won't be long.  
I squeeze myself through the crack, and suddenly it's so dark I think I've gone blind. But there's a current pulling me, and I let it because what choice do I have?  
I see a faint blue light, and it seems as though I'm headed towards it. It gets brighter and then I'm swimming to the surface, wondering what the hell I was thinking following that girl...

It's beautiful.  
The walls of the cave are covered in tiny sparkling projections. Their reflection on the water makes the place seem endless. I find a ledge and climb on, looking around in awe. Crystal Cove. This is where they used to get the crystals from. All this time, and someone knew.  
'Breathtaking isn't it.' I jump at her voice.  
It's the redheaded girl. She's sitting at the edge of the pool of water, hugging her knees. Her bright hair is dripping around her shoulders. She reminds me somewhat of Kassi.  
'Yes. It is.' I say, sitting on the edge of the water, still keeping my distance.  
'How do you know about this place?' My curiosity gets the better of me.  
She blinks at me.  
'My dad told me,' she says simply, then after a pause: 'What's your name?'  
I look at the jagged crystals protruding from the walls. How did this happen? How did no one know how to access this place? If could collect them and sell them all across the district, I could make a fortune. My family and I could live like the people of the Pier.  
'Percy.' I say finally.  
'Im RED,' she picks up a stone and throws it into the water idly.  
'Red?' I ask, 'Like your hair?' I can't help myself. Why would anyone name their child that?  
She shrugs.  
'Those are just my initials. Ironic isn't it?'  
'For what?' She looks familiar. The curiosity is now growing. I feel it gnawing on my insides, demanding to be fed.  
'Rachel Elizabeth Dare.'  
I blink once. Twice.  
'The mayor's daughter,' I whisper. I see flashes of a girl in pretty dresses, always standing by the mayor as he gives his speeches.  
She twirls a strand of her hair, which has begun drying in a frizzy mess.  
'You've got that right.'  
'Why don't you use this place to your advantage? To District Four's advantage? Why won't the mayor tell anyone?' I ask.  
She shrugs.  
'For reasons you'll soon see,' she says with an odd smile.  
I frown at that. What does she mean?

'Oh how you must hate me...' she says, then laughs. It echoes off the walls.  
I look at her skeptically.  
'You must think me ungrateful and stupid,' she continues then stands up, "I'm the mayor's daughter. I've never had to suffer as much as all of you. it's unfair, but things are going to be set right.  
She runs her hands along the crystals, then I hear a crack and she comes and sits right next to me. She takes my hand, opens it, and places three tiny crystals in my hand. I close it tightly.  
'The stone is corroded because of all the moisture,' she says.

I look at her. She's gazing at the ceiling, where there are tiny openings, allowing some sunlight inside. It truly is a beautiful place. I think once the wonder wears off, the oddness of this conversation will really catch up to me.

'We should get going,' she says, 'The Reaping will start in a few hours.' She looks sad. I don't know what she has to be afraid of. Her name is probably in only maybe three times. Just three slips. She's safe, to say the least. I, on the other hand, am definitely not.  
I stand up and dust myself off, making sure the crystals are tightly sealed in my pocket. She looks up at me with her emerald green eyes and says: 'Good luck, Percy Jackson.'  
'I.. I never mentioned my last name,' I say, confused.  
'Oh,' she looks uncomfortable, 'Must have remembered it from school.'  
Everything she's told me seems like it hold secrets. Every word she said, every smile she gave... It was like she was expecting to meet me. It's too much for me to handle right now. My focus should be on the Reaping, not the mayor's daughter, no matter how odd and mysterious she is.

I extend my hand to help her get up. She stares at it for a moment before taking it. I pull her to her feet.  
'Good luck, Miss Dare.' She lets go of my hand.  
'Hey, uh, I have a boat,' I say lamely. She raises an eyebrow.  
'We could take you back to shore if you'd like. Easier than swimming.'  
Now both eyebrows are raised.  
'We?' She asks.  
'Yeah, my cousin Kassi and I...' And then it hits me. How long have I been here? I've left Kassi all alone.  
'I need to go now...' I say, 'Are you coming or not?'  
She senses the urgency in my voice and nods yes. Without waiting any further, I grab her arm and jump, dragging her after me. It's harder to get out of the cave than it is to get in. The current keeps pulling us backward. We make it back to the other side.  
How could I forget Kassi? I won't be able to forgive myself if anything's happened to her. Our heads finally surface, and we take in deep breaths of air.  
I see the boat, and Kassi is at the edge, looking down into the water.  
We swim toward her and when she spots us, I realize she's crying.  
'Percy, how could you leave me? I thought you'd drowned! I thought you were dead! How was I supposed to go to mom and Aunt Sally and tell them you'd drowned?' She's sobbing now, hiccuping as tears stream down her face. My heart shatters. How irresponsible and stupid of me. After what happened to our fathers, of course she'd be sensitive to me disappearing at sea.  
I climb aboard and Kassi punches my arm, over and over again.  
In the meantime, Rachel manages to get on, and I guess the sight of her causes Kassi to calm down a bit.  
She eventually stops hitting me and wipes away her tears. The remorse is killing me now, but there is also relief in knowing that nothing has happened to her. Judging by the position of the sun, it's been almost half an hour.  
'Percy, why is the mayor's daughter here?'  
'We're simply giving her a ride,' I say. I dig into my pocket and pull out the crystals. 'And look! We know where Crystal Cove is now!'  
Kassi looks between Rachel and the crystals.  
'I can take you there tomorrow! You should see it. It's beautiful. We can go as many times as you'd like, but we can't sell them.' I ramble on and on, hoping to distract her of the fact that she was mad at me less than a minute ago. I keep going, talking for a good sixty seconds.  
'Percy?' Kassi asks finally.  
'Yeah?' I stop abruptly.  
'Shut up and row.' She lifts the rock back into the boat.  
Rachel begins laughing.  
'I like her!' She exclaims then settles down as we start moving. In less than five minutes, we've reached the shore. It's more crowded now. The fishermen are here, going out fishing to get in as much work as they possibly can before they have to go to the Square and attend the Reaping.  
We turn the boat over and Rachel stands there, her hands behind her back.  
'It was nice meeting the both of you.' She says awkwardly.  
'You too,' I say politely as Kassi and I lift the boat over our heads, our things hanging around our arms.  
Rachel stays a second longer before turning around, her pale, freckled legs carrying her away and toward the mayor's house on the cliff overlooking the harbor.  
Kassi and I hurry back home, weaving our way through the crowds back to our little house in The Bucket. We walk in through the front door. From the small clock above the kitchen door, I can tell it's already quarter to nine.  
We place the boat back in the closet, then Kassi says: 'You wake Tyson, and I'll wake the rest.'  
I nod in agreement then proceed to the tiny bedroom, where Tyson is tangled among the sheets, his skinny limbs spread out on the mattress. I shake him awake, and he bolts upright. He's quiet for a while, then he sucks in a breath when he sees me.  
'It's today.' He says. It's his first Reaping. He only just turned twelve a few monthd ago.  
I nod. 'You'll be fine. It's just one slip, remember? And if I've made it this far, then so can you. I give him what I think is a reassuring smile.  
I did everything to make sure my family was safe and alive didn't I? Kassi scrapes barnacles off fishing boats and I help out at Bryer's Bait Shop. We fish. We sell what we catch. We do the most we can, but it's not enough. We're still malnourished. We need the tesserae rations to trade and live properly. I don't mind signing up for everyone's rations; what worries me is what will happen once I'm past the age of eighteen. If I can't sign up for tesserae, then Kassi will have to. And once she makes it to eighteen, Tyson. Then it will be Lance and Lily's turn. Knowing this is something I can't stop physically pains me.  
'Come on. We're having tuna for dinner.' I say.  
Tyson's scruffy head perks up, and I can see his mismatched eyes alight with anticipation and joy. One sea green, one pale blue.  
He gets up, though I can tell he'd like nothing more than to go back to sleep and forget about the Reaping. Forget about the Hunger Games. Forget about death.  
We hurry to the kitchen, where the two large fish take up most of the space on the tiny table. I could trade in one of them for a more substantial meal, maybe get some bread or rice, or cheese.  
My mother walks out of the bedroom, my cousin Lance behind her. Her pale eyes are sunken and she hasn't brushed her auburn hair yet. Aunt Julia doesn't look any better. She, on the other hand, is carrying Lily, whose head is buried in the crook of her neck.  
Kassi follows them out. For a moment we all just stand there in an awkward circle. What if one of us has to leave today? No one says it, but the question hangs in the air like October fog.  
So I do the most logical thing I can think of.  
I say: 'I'll heat up the water for the baths.' And I hurry out to the large cistern outside, and begin filling the bucket with water and heating it repetitively. Kassi washes up first, then Lance and Lily, Tyson, my mom, and Aunt Julia. Now it's my turn. I fill the bucket four times and boil the water while everyone else gets ready. It's eleven.  
I scrub my skin raw, getting rid of all the sand and salt embedded in my nails. When I'm done, I don't smell much like fish and salt, which is rare.  
I walk out to our room. Kassi is putting on a pair of worn out suede shoes. She is wearing a faded blue dress that's too big for her, the belt tightened to the maximum. Her hair is smoothed down and tied in two braids on each side of her head. Tyson wears one of my old white shirts and brown pants. They fit him just fine. His unruly hair is now combed and parted to the side. We clean up well for Bucket kids. It's funny how we all have to dress in our best attire, when two of us are most probably going to be murdered for entertainment.  
We have Careers, who train for the Hunger Games, but sometimes even the Pier kids back out when the moment comes. For a lot of them, the prospect of the Games is only really appealing when it's theoretical.  
I find a white shirt and a pair of black pants laid out for me on the bed. I've been wearing the same outfit for two years now, and it's growing a little tight. But these aren't mine.  
'Aunt Sally said she traded your old clothes for these.' Kassi explains.  
Her eyes that were so excited at the prospect of tuna a few hours earlier are now filled with fear. Tyson grabs on to the edge of the mattress until his knuckles turn white.  
Aunt Julia calls for us, and Tyson and Kassi leave me to get ready. I don my outfit and find my dad's old weathered down shoes by the door. I put them on. I comb my hair, parting it to the right. Just as I'm about to leave the room, I remember the pearl and crystals. Should I take them? My gut feeling says yes.  
My mother calls specifically for me now. 'We're going to be late,' she says.  
I reach over between the wall and the mattress and grab the small box. I rummage through my shorts' pocket for the crystals and place them beside the pearl. I only stare at them for a split second before shoving the box into my right pant pocket.  
I look at the shabby room one last time, then close the door and walk to the front hall.  
We all take in each others' appearances before opening the door and joining the crowd headed towards the town square at the Pier. I keep one arm around Tyson's shoulders and hold Kassi's hand with the other.  
We'll be fine. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. I picture it in my head. The anthem is played. We stand. The mayor plays the Capitol broadcast. We stand. The mayor gives his speech. We stand. A starving girl, fourteen is reaped first. No one volunteers. A boy, a stocky blond Career, volunteers as the male tribute. The Capitol escort chirps something incomprehensible, and we go back home. I take one of the fish out of the bucket of ice and trade it at the market in the Pearl. I get some string for my mother, maybe some vegetables and a can of soup. We have dinner and tonight, we all sleep soundly in our cramped room, thankful for our luck. We'll be fine.  
We reach the town square. It's a few minutes past one. We are not late. There are bright banners hanging on the shops surrounding the square, with cameramen perched on their rooftops. No one speaks. We all walk in silently. I squeeze Kassi's hand and Tyson's shoulder as we are herded into roped areas marked off by ages. I'm almost at the front. Kassi is in the middle. Tyson at the back. I catch a glimpse of my mother and Aunt Julia, holding the twins' hands, standing around the perimeter with the other families.  
We'll be fine.  
The square is full now. I look around. I'm surrounded by a group of seventeen year olds. I actually know most of them from school and even talked to them a couple of times.  
We all stare at each other awhile, then focus our gazes on the stage set up in front of the Justice Building. There are several chairs, a podium, and two large hollow glass balls: one for the girls, one for the boys. The chairs are occupied by the mayor, Kylie Nightglass, the escort from the Capitol, sporting a bright blue wig, and some of the previous victors.  
The town clock strikes two, and the mayor steps onto the podium and repeats the same speech he gave the year before. And the year before that. And the one before that too. The history of Panem. Its disasters, the Capitol, the Dark Days, the Hunger Games. As punishment for their crimes, the twelve districts must sacrifice two tributes, one male and one female, to the annual Hunger Games. Over a period of several weeks, these tributes are all forced to fight to the death in an outdoor arena that could hold anything, really. The winner receives the prize of a comfortable life back home, in the Victors' Village, while the district is showered with food for a whole year. It happens to us sometimes, and we have at least one substantial meal a day for a whole year. Those are happier years.  
The mayor reads the list of victors from our district and I have to say, it's quite long compared to the other, poorer districts. The fact that there are districts living in worse conditions than ours is disgusting. It makes me want to yell at someone, punch something. Why? Why do this to us? Your people?  
The mayor introduces Kylie Nightglass, and she cheerily takes his place.  
'Ah yes. Thank you Mayor Dare.' She giggles.  
'See it's funny because it rhymes!' She chirps. When no one laughs, she awkwardly clears her throat and says the typical thing to be said: 'Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor! It is my pleasure to be your escort to the Capitol. I'll be with the tributes every step of the way!' Why must she speak in such a high pitched voice?  
Then comes the drawing. Kylie walks towards the bowl on the right.  
'This is so exciting!' She trills happily. Her hand hovers above the slips before finally picking just one. She walks back to the center of the stage and unfurls the slip. Her lips almost touch the microphone as she reads the name of this years female tribute. I close my eyes and picture the starving fourteen year old in my head.  
But it's not her, it's Kassi Waters.  
'Come on up!' Kylie says.  
My eyes snap open. I look to the right, where all the girls are grouped. The ones her age part for her to walk up onto the stage. I can't save her. I can't protect her. I can't do anything. My fists are clenched. Why won't anyone volunteer? Why aren't the Careers seizing their chance? I wait. And wait. And wait. Kassi walks up to the stage and stands by Kylie. She looks petrified, but she's not struggling. Oh, poor Kassi. Could she survive? If I weren't a boy I would've taken her place in a heartbeat. This cannot be happening... I'm in a daze. How? She only had three slips in there...  
'And now for the boys!' Kylie takes her pick and goes back to her original spot on stage.  
I'm still focused on Kassi. This wasn't planned. What about the tuna? What about going back to Crystal Cove? What about finding our fathers? She still believed.  
Kylie is about to read the name of the unfortunate male tribute, but at that precise moment, I know exactly what I'm supposed to do.  
'I volunteer as tribute!' I yell, stepping forward. The boys make way, and I march purposefully towards the stage.  
'Oh a volunteer!' Kylie is just bursting with animation and excitement.  
I walk up the steps then halfway there I feel a sharp tug at my shirt, and I turn around to face two tear filled eyes.  
'Percy, no...' He whispers, tears trailing down his face as he clings to me.  
'Tyson...' I start, then I remember what my father said to me before he left, 'The gulls fly free. Someday we will too,' I repeat to him. I hope he remembers. I hope it means something. Somehow, it feels like I was meant to say that.  
Two Peacekeepers have come to get him. He's stepped out of line. Goodbye, Tyson.  
I face the stage and walk up the remaining steps.  
'And what might your name be, young gentleman?' She asks me, her white teeth almost blinding me.  
'Percy Jackson,' I say through gritted teeth.  
Her eyes widen.  
'Would you be related to a Tyson Jackson?' She enquires.  
I nod. Why does she care?  
She giggles. 'My, my! Well would you look at that!' She hands over the slip to me and says once, 'If it hadn't been you, it would've been your brother!'  
I read the slip. My heart stops. The name Tyson Jackson is actually written on it. The single slip in the bowl.  
This was a hopeless case from the start.  
I gulp. I watch as Tyson is taken away to my mother and Aunt Julia. He clings to my mother's side, crumpling her dress in his fists. Their eyes are all full of sadness, the type that weighs you down and grows with the passing of time. I can't bear to look at them any longer, so I face the crowd instead, my head held high.  
The mayor begins reading the Treaty of Treason, but all I can hear and see is Kassi's name being read, and the image of Tyson Jackson scrawled neatly on a piece of paper.  
One slip for Tyson, three for Kassi. The odds had been entirely in their favor, but look at the mess we're all in now.  
The mayor finishes reading, and now Kassi and I must shake hands. I grab her hand, the same hand I've held for so many years now.  
Kassi. My cousin. My best friend. I know I'm not in this to win. I am here to protect Kassi, and I will succeed at all costs. I squeeze her hand in a somewhat reassuring way, and we turn back to face the crowd as the anthem plays.  
I stare at the sea of faces in front if me, silently saying goodbye. I didn't realize this was home. I should've appreciated it more, been more grateful. Now that I'm leaving it for good, I can't help but feel devastated.  
For Kassi's sake, I am going to have to kill. I don't care about the other kids right now, but I will keep her safe no matter what.


	3. CHAPTER II: ANNABETH

I keep having the same nightmare. I'm in a jungle, surrounded by the ominous sounds of the wilderness. My heart is hammering in my chest, and I can't breathe. I'm frozen in place. A boy covered in blood appears, holding a spear. He opens his mouth and more blood pours out. Somehow I understand what he's just said; "Your turn." I open my mouth to scream just as the tip of the spear pierces my chest, maiming my heart. I open my eyes.

It's too early to be awake. That's all I know when I sit up in the dark. Or maybe it's just too late to not be asleep. I turn over to my side. The metal bars above me creak as my brothers stir in their sleep. I sigh and shove my pillow in my face. If I die from suffocating I won't have to attend the Reaping. Suffocating. That seems to be the more merciful way to go.

My throat constricts. I'd had three brothers once.

His name was Xander. He was reaped whe he was twelve, and died in the Bloodbath on the very first day. I begin sweating nervously. I just have to make it this year and the next, and then I'll be free to die of malnutrition and overexertion like everyone else. I swing my legs off the bed, shoving the blanket off me as I take deep breaths.

My hands are shaking. My heart is beating hard. My head is throbbing dizzyingly. I make my way to the tiny metal framed window in the room and crack in open forcefully. I pop my head outside into the cool night air and breathe in deeply, holding my breath in for seven seconds, then breathing out for seven as well. It calms me down. Tendrils of light are peeking out from behind the closed curtains of the house facing me. I look back at the sleeping twins, then back again at the luminous square, and swing my leg across the windowsill. I bring my second leg to the other side, then begin climbing slowly down the drain pipe. It's held on for several decades, there's no reason for it to break now. That's what I tell myself every time I use it to climb up or down. Hasn't failed me yet.

I land on the dry grass with a soft thud, then begin jogging down the narrow street to the small brick house facing mine. I knock three times in succession. I wait awhile before finally hearing he click of a latch and the squeak of rusted hinges. A long scar and a soft smile stare back at me.

I open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to to it.

'More nightmares?' hoarsely.

I blink at him, then nod my head slowly.

The door opens completely and I cross the threshold into the dimly lit hallway.

The door closes and Luke brushes past me and up to his bedroom, and I follow him silently. He closes the door then sits down on his rickety bed, his head in his hands. I notice crumpled pieces of paper lying everywhere. I sit down beside him. We do this often. I come over and we just sit in silence, thinking a million thoughts but never sharing them out loud.

'I have them too,' he whispers.

His sister Sophia was in the arena the same year as my brother was. She'd been fifteen. That's how we met, Luke and me. We bonded over the deaths of our siblings. What a marvelous way to start a friendship. I just wish it hadn't developed into something else on my part.

Luke is only a year older than I am. Today will be his last Reaping. He's going to make it. Freedom is just around the corner.

I realize he is the last Castellan standing. His parents were mechanics who died in a machine testing accident when he was fourteen, and he's lived on his own ever since, because why would the Peacekeepers care about an orphaned teenage boy? They'd given him a medal, and a loaf of stale bread. If he dies, a whole bloodline goes to waste.

He throws himself back on the mattress and pats the spot next to him. My heart skips a beat as I lie down and he holds my hand. I hope he associates my increased heart rate to my nightmare.

'We're almost there, Annabeth,' he says. We're quiet for a couple of minutes before I ask: 'What if this time I actually am reaped? What if you are?'

'That won't happen.'

He says it so confidently, I almost believe him. But it's going to take a bit more than that to get rid of the fear eating me up on the inside, year after year.

This is the part where we both fall asleep. He closes his eyes. I stare unabashedly at the pale scar running down his face, from his eye to his chin. Despite that, he is still handsome. I sigh. I need to be realistic. We have a symbiotic relationship, comforting each other when we can. Once he is past his last Reaping, he won't really care what happens to me. He won't need me to comfort him anymore, because the worst will have passed. Yet, the deepest part of me somehow hopes he feels a sliver of what I feel for him. We could have a future together. There isn't anyone I trust more than him.

I dream of darkness. I wake up when I feel Luke putting his arm around me. I blink. He's still asleep, his mouth hanging slightly open as he dreams on. I move his arm off me, which is difficult seeing as it's heavy and I'm trying not to wake him up, then roll off the bed and stand up. I stretch my arms then carefully walk to the door. I open it slowly, trying to be as quiet as I possibly can, and look back at the cluttered room.

I won't be reaped today. I won't be reaped next year. I'll lead an average life. Nothing will go wrong.

I close the door and hurry back to my room, climbing up the drain pipe again and then through the window. It's still fairly early, only quarter past seven, I realize as I look at the tiny clock on the dresser.

My stomach rumbles, and I flinch. We aren't poor, but there's never really much to eat around the house. I don't mind. I find my sister sitting quietly at the edge of the table, staring straight ahead. I feel guilty for completely forgetting about the fact that it's her first Reaping.

'Annabeth, I'm going to die,' she whispers. In the dim morning light streaming through the windows, I can tell that she's been crying. Her eyes are bloodshot and there's a trail of white where her tears have already dried.

'Oh Elaine,' I whisper and rush to hug her. Whereas I take after my dad, Elaine is the spitting image of my mother. Her hair is thick and black and tousled from the lack of sleep. Once, she fell off the stairs at the age of seven, and after that day she refused to sleep in the same room as Bobby, Matthew and I on the first floor. She'd kick and cry and scream if we tried to make her go upstairs, so we just gave up. I think now she wouldn't really have a problem going upstairs, but we've all gotten so used to it it doesn't reallt matter. She's slept on the worn out couch under the stairs from that day onward.

The fact that we lost a brother to the Games terrifies her. It still terrifies me. Why are the Games even necessary? If we so much as step a toe out of line there are consequences to face. The Games are useless and irrelevant and stupid. Twenty three kids don't deserve to be slaughtered every year. I'm feel somewhat of a sense of pride knowing that Six has many rebel groups fighting against the Capitol. I'd be a part of one if I didn't weigh out the pros and cons in my head. The fact remains that it's too risky. The groups are mainly made of people that have nothing left to lose anymore. I still have many things to lose.

I comb Elaine's hair out with my fingers.

'I need you to be strong, El. You have to stop panicking.'

I stare above her head at the blueprints and plans hanging on the kitchen wall. They aren't that great, and could use improvement, but I won't give my dad any advice. I want nothing to do with that vile man. What he did was unforgivable.

She nods at my words, and I release her. Then I rush over to the sink and find a clean cloth and dampen it. I hand it to her and she takes it gratefully, wiping away the snot and tears off her pale face.

'You should go back to bed,' I say, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

'Can you tell me a story, Annabeth?' She asks, her silver eyes wide and pleading.

I look out the kitchen window at the sunlight slowly spreading across the cobbled street.

'Alright.'

I nod to Elaine and we leave the kitchen and head for her bed under the stairs.

She pulls out the storybook from under her pillow and hands it over to me. I found it walking home from school one day and decided no one would really miss it.

'Ella,' I read. Most of the writing has faded away by now, but the few words and old illustrations are enough to tell the story. I'd filled in as best as I could with what I assumed where the correct words and phrases.

Elaine falls asleep halfway through, her thumb in her mouth. She's done so since she was a baby, and we haven't found anyway to stop her. She's such an innocent sight. I keep reading. It gives me something to do.

By the time I hear footsteps coming down the stairs, I'm exhausted. My throat is dry and my mouth is parched, as if reading these stories over and over will make them come true. But that's all they are. Stories.

I only stop when my dad walks into the hallway, his feet shuffling as he goes to pour himself a drink. I watch quietly, shutting the book slowly and hugging it to my chest.

He walks out and then instead of going back up the stairs from where he came from, he comes to Elaine and I.

I stiffen when he spots me, and he does so to. He regains his composure and nods.

'Annabeth,' he says curtly.

I don't answer him. I press myself against the wall and tighten my grip on the book.

He sighs.

'You know what day it is. You have to get ready now. Wake your sister.'

I don't let my gaze falter, and I use my unnerving abilities to the max.

He squirms then takes a sip of his drink. In a moment, he's gone.

I'm the only one that know what he did that night, the night Xander died. While my mother had been frozen in shock and unresponsive to everything, he'd left us all and slept with another woman. That was surely the day I was stripped of my innocence. As a child you believe your parents are perfect. They are saints that cannot sin, like angels without wings. But that's not the truth.

I'd followed him for a couple of blocks until he'd reached a house. Being ten, I'd been confused. But all of my puzzlement cleared when I peeked through the window and saw what was really happening in there. I didn't tell anyone.

He'd been with her when my mother took all those pills. And now she was under our roof. A part of this "family",

I nudge Elaine.

'Come on, El. It's time to wake up now,' I say.

She mumbles a bit before finally getting up.

'We've got to get ready.'

It takes us an hour and a half to bathe, dress, and look appropriate. I am wearing a faded gray dress that used to belong to my mother, and Elaine is wearing one of my old dresses. It is lavender and several sizes too big for her.

'Wait here,' I say, thinking if a sudden solution.

My stepmother, Helia, is tending to Bobby and Matthew, and as for my father, I could care less where he was.

I hurry over to the storage room. It is filled with boxes of old material we could either sell or need throughout the following year. I scan the labels. I finally spot the one I'm looking for. It has the word SEWING neatly scrawled on it.

It's too high for me to reach, so I place another box beneath it and step on. I'm reaching for the box when there's a loud sound of crunching metal and pain shoots up from my ankle up to my thigh.

I yell out in pain as I hit the floor. The sight if my bloody ankle is dizzying, and within a few moments, I pass out.

I wake up on the couch in our living area. My leg is bandaged up to stop the bleeding, and Luke is standing over me with an air of worry.

'Are you okay, Annabeth?' He asks me.

I hold my head in my hands.

'I'm fine. But what happened?' I look up at him again.

He sighs and rubs his temples.

'You stood on a rusted box and the pressure caused it to break.'

He sits down at the edge of the couch, being careful not to touch my injured leg.

'The Reaping...' I start weakly.

'We have a while.'

'And Elaine... I was supposed to help her with her dress...' I say, trying to scramble to my feet, but Luke puts his arm out to stop me, shaking his head. A lock of blond falls into his eye.

'Don't put too much pressure on it. Mr. Satoris came over and helped patch it up.'

'But I promised her I'd...'

'Annabeth, she's fine. Your stepmom helped her with the dress. Just wait here until you need to go out. Okay?' He asks.

I open my mount to speak but then shut it and nod.

'Okay.'

He smiles at me and says: 'Good.' I can't help but smile back. He kisses my forehead before leaving the house and returning to his own. I stare at the clock on top of the doorframe. We have half an hour to be there. We don't live too far, so that shouldn't be much if a problem.

My leg is throbbing dully, and I lie down as Luke instructed. The minutes tick by. I can hear my brothers quarreling and Helia quietly trying to stop them.

I hear footsteps and crane my neck to see who it is. It's Elaine and my father.

'You're hurt.' She says, heartbroken.

'It's alright, El.'

'The three of us are leaving now. Helia and the boys will follow us in a while,' my father says in a monotone.

The next fifteen minutes consist of my father and Elaine helping me stand up and hobble out into the street. Thankfully, Luke is waiting for us by the door, and I don't have to keep contact with my father for long. Elaine tags along by my side, chattering away about a school trip, but I can see the fear in her eyes and hear the anxiety in her voice.

The crowd heading towards the square is thickening now. None of us are going willingly, but it's mandatory unless you are on your death bed. And even then, conditions apply.

My leg aches as I struggle to keep moving forward, the gash burning painfully. We reach the town square. We are five minutes early. The square is one of the most pleasant areas of the district. It's a large area surrounded by shops that sell mostly everything. But today, the bright banners seem out of place and the cameramen on the rooftops seem to be spying on all of us. There is no need for secrecy. We all know they're there. We file in silently. Elaine hugs my side and I squeeze her shoulder as she hurries off the the ropes off area filled with twelve year olds at the back. Luke and I are almost at the front, the rows arranged in descending order of age.

I reach my area and slowly let go of Luke. I give him a wan smile and we both head our separate ways. I stand as well as I can, waiting for the Reaping to begin. The square becomes more and more cramped until it's hard to breathe.

Janice Avery, a girl in my class at school, is fidgeting, her skirt clamped tightly in her sweaty palms.

I focus my gaze on the stage that has been set up in front of the Justice Building. The chairs for the mentors and a podium for speeches to be made. Two large glass bowls(one for girls, one for boys) are set up in each side, filled with thousands and thousands of slips of papers. Thirty six have Annabeth Chase neatly written on them. A new escort sits wedged between the mayor and a previous victor I recognize as Celia Evrose. The escort seems young, maybe twenty, and is wearing a bright yellow suit and fluorescent orange wig. She's a speck of color in a sea of dullness.

The town clock strikes two, and the mayor takes his place on the podium. He begins reciting his speech. Half of is probably not mentally present, and the other is probably too petrified to lay enough attention to his words. He begins telling the story if the history of Panem. The disasters that brought the previous country down. The forming of the Capitol. The returning of peace and order. District Thirteen rebelling. The Dark Days. The first Hunger Games. Every year, one boy and one girl must be sacrificed for the entertainment of the Capitol, and that's just from each district. It's their way of showing us that they can do whatever they want with no consequences whatsoever. For several weeks, the tributes will all have to fight till the death until one remains. The victor and his district are showered in goods throughout the whole following year, until the next Games begin again.

The list of victors in our district isn't that long, but it's definitely longer than that of Twelve for example, who only have one.

He introduces our new Capitol escort, who struts to the center of the stage. Her name is Diana Hughmann. Her last name sounds like human pronounced oddly.

'Thank you, Mayor Treeley.'

Her voice surprises me. She is less perky than the previous escort, and her eyes seem to betray her. She wants to be here as much as any of us do. The bright colors are to distract us of the fact that this is the last thing she'd want to be doing today. She takes the mayor's place and clears her throat.

'Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!' She attempts to chirp, but it comes out very bored and formal sounding anyway. I decide I like her more than the previous escort.

'I shall start by drawing the female tribute's name,' she says, heading for the glass bowl on the right. She shoves her hand in and picks a slip. The crowd draws in a collective breath. She walks back to the microphone and says in a voice that rings out loud and clear: 'Annabeth Chase.'

She looks up expectantly from the slip, waiting for someone to step forward. I can't breathe. I can't think. That's my name. The girls around me look at me oddly, and I feel nauseous. I blink twice before coming to my senses and beginning to move. My leg protests. I limo along to the steps on the stage, but someone cries out: 'Annabeth, no!' A pair of bony arms wraps around my waist, and Elaine struggles to pull me backward.

'Oh dear,' I hear Diana say. That's the most emotion I'be heard in her voice yet.

Two large Peacekeepers are headed towards me and Elaine.

'Elaine, let go of me,' I order her.

She's sobbing uncontrollably, and the Peacekeepers pry her fingers away from me and drag her back.

It happens in slow motion: Elaine tries to reach for me, but the smaller of the two Peacekeepers in their white suits slams the back of his hand into her face. She cries out in pain. I scowl and rush to him despite the pain coursing through me and jump on his back. My leg screams in protest.

'Who do you think you are?' I yell, using my fists to pummel him. I can't tell whether my words are directed simply at him or the Capitol, but I don't care. How dare he lay a finger on my sister! Poor, fragile Elaine who cried when the house spider died. Who wept for three days.

My senses are a blur. I'm going to die anyway. This is my small form of rebellion. I continue beating the Peacekeeper while his arms flail wildly as he tries to get me off. I hear Diana scream something. There are hands on me body, but I hold on tighter, yelling obscenities. I am going to die. I am going to die. I am going to die.

When they finally get me off, and I'm on the ground again, two men grip my arms and drag me on to the stage. I struggle helplessly.

'Don't touch me!' I yell, yanking my arms away from them and climbing up the stairs angrily to join Diana. I am seething with rage.

'Well, that was quite an interesting display there,' Diana says, biting her lip unsurely.

I glower at the crowd. I am not going down that easily. I did not live all these years for it to end here. No.

She clears her throat awkwardly again and puts on a fake smile.

'And now for the male tribute,' she says, moving towards the other bowl.

I can't believe this. I had two reapings left. Just two. Why? This isn't fair. This isn't...

'Luke Castellan.'

My blood goes cold. My eyes widen as I spot his face in the crowd. He is making his way to the stage.

No... No one could have such rotten luck. To be reaped was one thing, but to have to kill someone you love is another.

Luke walks up to the stage. His face unreadable, his eyes focused on something in the distance. His jaw is clenched so hard it's twitching. He stands beside me.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' Diana speaks, 'the tributes of District Six!' She announces.

'Shake hands now,' she says and I am forced to comply.

The mayor returns to the stage and begins reading the Treaty of Treason, but I can't seem to focus on his words, not that I ever did.

The odds hadn't been in my favor at all, but I was nonetheless surprised.

The mayor finishes reading, and I shake Luke's hand firmly. We exchange a brief glance.

I don't know what I'm going to do. If it were just me, I'd have killed those twenty three tributes without a second thought. Tried my best to make it back home. But now Luke was involved, and suddenly the image of his bright blue eyes blank and dull hits me like a bullet. How could I let that happen? I suddenly wish I didn't know him. I wish he were a stranger. How can I kill him?

If I come back alive from the Capitol, then Luke won't. I'll come back to emptiness and my family and my father. It would be useless.

The anthem plays as we face the onlooking crowd, a sea of faces I'll probably never see again. Some I know, others I've seen around, but in a few weeks they will most probably be alive, and I won't. I just have to hope that the odds will actually be in my favor. But the odds haven't exactly been very reliable lately, now have they?


	4. CHAPTER III: PERCY

The anthem finishes playing, and several Peacekeepers begin ushering us away hurriedly through the doors of the Justice Building. They seem too alert, like they're afraid we might make a break for it and try to escape. Maybe tributes have tried it in the past. They must've been stupid. Where were they even running to? Maybe they were reconsidering suicide. Not completely stupid, but not the smartest option either.

Kassi and I are each assigned a room as two Peacekeepers guide us to the respective one and close the door. I look around in awe. This is probably what houses in the Pier look like from the inside. The carpet makes the room feel warmer and there's sunlight streaking in from the window. A velvet couch is on the side, and I sit down on it. It's much more comfortable than the mattress back home. I feel somewhat guilty for experiencing the tiniest ounce of pleasure when all I've ever done is feel bitter towards the rich.

Disgusted with myself, I stand up and begin pacing. What am I going to do? I know for sure there's no way both Kassi and I can make it out of the arena. If I hadn't volunteered, she would've died immediately. She's strong in a way: the barnacle scrubbing and swimming helped her build up some strength. But when it comes to it, she won't kill anything unless it's fish. Either way, one of us would've died, and I would prefer it to be me rather than her. I knew my loyalty would someday lead me to my demise, but I didn't think it would be this early. I sigh and run a hand over my face.

I know that I only have an hour to say my goodbyes. My family will have to split between me and Kassi. I need to have a plan. If Kassi strikes the others as a weakling, she could easily be overlooked. Either the others will completely ignore her, or make her their first target. If I seem as strong and cold as ever, and become her ally in the arena, chances are a few of the other tributes will avoid confrontation at first. We'll be left alone until the last few tributes have no choice but to go after us. Then I'll kill them, and myself in the end. Kassi will come home.

My first visitor is unexpected: the mayor's daughter walks in solemnly. She is different than what I remember from this morning. Her red hair is braided tightly down her back, and she wears a dress the same rich green as her eyes. Rachel is the last person I would expect as a visitor.

She walks in and sits down on the couch, crossing her legs in such a ladylike manner it's hard to remember that the girl in Crystal Cove and the one sitting before me are the same person.

We stare at each other for a while before I finally decide to speak.

'Why are you here?' I have no time to waste. Not anymore.

'I'm here to apologize, Percy.'

'For what? It's not like any of this is your fault.'

She gives me a sad smile then digs in her pocket for something. She stands up, brushes the invisible dust off her dress and walks over to me.

'I've brought you a parting gift. A token from home.'

She takes my hand in hers and opens it, placing a small object in my palm. I look down. It's a small fishhook pendant on a leather cord. I stare at it in confusion.

'Why?' It's the only word I can seem to form.

She smiles at me.

'Because I'm your friend, Percy. Even if you don't know it yet. And I know this must all seem like a lot to you, but a lot of things will ne clearer to you soon. Trust me.'

I don't know why I already do. Sure, she says odd things and seems to be holding secrets, but I can tell she's being honest with me.

'I also want you to know you shouldn't worry about your family. I'll make sure they're okay.'

I don't understand anything that's happened so far today, but I'm not about to reject her help.

'Thank you,' I tell her.

'Just remember what your father told you,' she says.

I furrow my brow.

'How-'

'Time's up,' the Peacekeeper says loudly, interrupting me. We both turn to him. Rachel faces me again as she walks out the door.

'Good luck, Percy.'

'Thanks for being a good friend,' I yell after her, but I don't think she hears me.

The door closes and I am alone again. I stare at the necklace and decide to put it on.

My mind and heart are both racing. Rachel knows something. How could she know what my father told me? This is too much for me to handle at once. She's the mayor's daughter. What could the mayor and my father possibly have in common? The most privileged man in the district and a fisherman.

I'm deep in thought as my next visitor comes in. Surprisingly enough, it's not my family again. She's young, maybe in her twenties, with eyes the same green as seaweed, dark yet dazzling in the light. She looks a bit troubled and jittery. She doesn't seem like she knows quite what to do with her hands, so she keeps wringing them together.

'Bad... Bad... Very bad,' she mumbles, looking around at the room.

I frown. Her face does seem familiar, but I can't quite remember where I've seen it before.

'Can I help you?' I ask her.

She blinks at me, finally focusing on my face. Her facial features are quite small and delicate. She looks like someone I'd want to protect.

'Hello.'

Her tone sounds cautious and confused.

'I am Annie Cresta.'

So that's where I've seen her before. She won the Hunger Games a few years ago. She witnessed the boy tribute from her district be brutally decapitated and lost it after that. They flooded the arena, and she was the only tribute left that could swim, and that's why she won.

Before I can say anything in response, she speaks up again.

'I have a message for someone. Could you deliver it for me?' She asks.

Why on Earth would she ask me that? But I play along, because I feel sorry for her.

'It's for Finnick. He'll be gone for- for several weeks now, and I need to tell him now. Before it happens.'

I cringe at the mention of Finnick Odair. He was reaped when he was fourteen and then crowned the victor after he'd managed to kill everyone with his trident. Now he was the Capitol's favorite playboy, residing there most if the time as his "services" were highly in demand. Now this poor girl seems to be infatuated with him, and I want to beat him up for it. I know for sure he'll be my mentor, because every year, he is one of the three picked to train the tributes. District Four is very proud of his status. That means more time in the Capitol for him, and you can quickly see where that leads.

'Go ahead,' I tell Annie.

She looks pensive for a moment, probably processing my words in her mind.

'The message is,' she starts slowly, '41 North, 74 West. Find us.' She whispers it, like it's some big secret. I don't understand what it means, but I will relay the message for her.

'Us?' I ask curiously.

The Peacekeeper knocks loudly and announces that her time is up, but I don't miss the way Annie places her hand tenderly over the almost unnoticeable bump on her stomach.

'Thank you, Percy Jackson,' she says softly before leaving without a trace of reluctance.

I feel sick. Now to add to the whole Rachel situation, I have to deliver a message for Annie. She gave me coordinates. I'll have to find a map later and see where she wants him to go. I wonder if the child is his, and if it is, how can he go around acting the way he does and abandon Annie like that? I don't know how to process all the information I have, so I just repeat the message to myself again and again.

My family finally shows up. The only people I expected to visit me are actually the last to do so. My mother rushes to hug me. I am several inches taller than she is, so I lower my head into the crook of her neck, desperately needing the comfort. I inhale her sweet smell of lavender and salt and struggle not to cry. This is probably the last time I'll ever see her. We let go of each other and she holds my face in her hands.

'Oh, Percy... My sweet, sweet boy...'

She understands why I volunteered, and it probably breaks her heart to see me go. I can tell she's already cried, probably from her visit to Kassi.

Lance is suddenly holding on to my leg tightly. I don't think he really understands what's going on, but he understands I'm leaving and everyone is sad. I bend down to hug him. He's sucking his thumb and he pats my face, like he's saying "there, there." He then loses interest and walks away to examine the couch.

Aunt Julia is sobbing silently as she hugs Lily, who's sound asleep, close.

She hands her over to my mother and rushes over to me, engulfing me in a tight hug.

'Oh God bless you,' she says as she sobs on my shoulder. Tyson is standing shyly by the door. I can see his blue eye and green eye glistening as he holds back his tears.

I gesture for him to come forward behind Aunt Julia, who finally lets me go and picks up Lance.

Tyson suddenly abandons all self control and rams into me, his bony arms encircling me. I wrap mine around him.

'Percy...' He croaks and looks up at me, 'Please don't die... Please...' He chokes and finally gives up, letting loose.

'Hey...' I say, stroking his hair, It's okay, buddy. I'm gonna bring Kassi back. Remember that time I taught you how to fish?' He nods.

'Good. My trident is yours now, okay? You go fishing and when Kassi comes back, she'll help you. You're the man of the house now, got it?'

He tightens his grip around me as a response.

'And don't sign up for tesserae ever again, you hear me? None of you,' I say, now addressing all of them, 'We can't risk losing another one of us.'

My mother and aunt nod solemnly while Tyson wipes away his tears.

The Peacekeeper comes again.

'Time to go.'

They all look back at me as they shuffle out. I can't believe I'll never see them again. All my seventeen years of existence and my life ends brutally here. I'll never experience finishing school, or having a family of my own, or celebrating another birthday as a matter of fact. I'll never go fishing with Kassi, or trading at the market, or have a family dinner.

I stand in the room for a long time. Maybe it's just a couple of minutes, but it feels like an eternity to me. I'm glad I've managed to control myself, not shedding a tear when I could fill buckets. I need to appear stronger than I really am if I want to uphold my image and save Kassi.

The Peacekeeper comes back and I'm ushered out of the room and into a car. It's the first time I've ever been in one, and I get excited, but then I realize this block of metal is taking me closer and closer to my death, and suddenly I want nothing more than to jump out. The ride to the train station is short though, and I'm thankful. Kassi is a few feet away, but I force myself not to look at her until I'm on the train. There are too many cameras outside and I need to keep my act together.

We're forced to wait in the train's doorway so the cameras can get a good look at us. We're allowed inside and the doors close behind us. The train begins moving. The speed is so shocking to me. When I was ten, my dad took me on a speedboat. I still remember the initial surprise at the velocity of the boat, clinging to its sides. This is somewhat the same thing, but multiplied.

We are safe from the cameras' spying eyes, so Kassi decides to suddenly hug me. She's crying hard, as I've already noticed on the train platform, and her fingernails dig into my arms and shoulders.

'I'm so sorry,' she cries as I hold her, because what else can I do.

A cough. I let go of her and she wipes her tears away.

It's Finnick. His eyebrows are raised in a mocking expression.

'If you two lovebirds are done, Kylie is looking for you,' he says.

'She's my cousin,' I spit at him.

Kassi blinks at him and he turns to face her, a charming smile on his face, revealing a pair of dimples.

'You're a pretty one, aren't you?' He says, lifting her face with his hand to face him. She blushes and looks down. The typical female reaction to the typical Finnick behavior.

'You're a sucker for those aren't you? The pretty ones,' I say with as much vehemence as I can muster, 'Does the name Annie Cresta ring a bell?'

Finnick only raises his eyebrows, which infuriates me even more.

'When you're free, I'll deliver a message from her to you.'

With that, I grab Kassi's arm and walk briskly past Finnick and into the next compartment. Maybe that was harsh, but he was hitting on my cousin who happens to be a decade younger.

Kylie is sitting at a long rosewood table, her legs crossed and her lips pursed. Her overly colorful face lights up as we approach.

'There you are!' She squeaks.

'The Avoxes will lead you to your rooms.' She claps her hands and two teenagers in suits, one boy and one girl come forward.

They look like they're in their early twenties, but definitely not from the Capitol. They haven't had any extensive surgery to alter their features as far as I can tell.

'Wear whatever you'd like and rest up. Supper's in and hour!' Kylie says cheerfully.

The boy comes to me and gestures for me to follow him. I squeeze Kassi's shoulder as the girl Avox leads her away to her room.

'See you at supper,' I whisper.

The boy leads me further down in the train.

'My name's Percy. What's yours?' I ask. He gives me a small smile and just shakes his head.

I frown. 'You aren't allowed to tell me?'

He shakes his head yet again.

'You can't speak?' I ask.

This time, he nods.

'Why not?'

I wish I hadn't asked that, because in the seconds that follow, the Avox opens his mouth to reveal what is left of a healed severed tongue. I gasp.

It's probably a form of punishment for a crime that wasn't that severe in the first place. He shuts his mouth close and bows his head, continuing the trek to my quarters.

We reach a pair of doors and they part open automatically. With a curt bow, the Avox is gone.

My quarters are fancier than anywhere I've ever been before, including the room back at the Justice Building. I have my own bedroom, dressing area, and a private bathroom. I walk around, in awe at everything. I sit on the bed, and stroke the soft blanket, which must be made of some animal's fur. I open the drawers, which are filled with clothes. I turn the knobs in the bathroom shower, accidentally becoming drenched in the process.

After a while, I begin to calm down. I pick a shirt and some khakis to wear from the dresser. Then I strip, throwing the shirt and pants from the Reaping in a pile by the dresser, and hop into the shower. It takes me a while to figure out how it works, but in the end I manage to scrub myself completely clean. It feels wonderful. I smell like lemons, which I don't think is a very masculine smell, but I just go with it. I get dressed but then remember the pearl and crystals in my pocket. The necklace Rachel gave me is still around my neck. I look for my clothes but they are nowhere to be found. I notice the small wooden box is on top of the dresser. I open it to find the pearl and crystals, intact. I sigh in relief.

There's a knock on my door, and the Avox walks in. He stands there like a statue. I guess I'm meant to follow him to dinner.

He taps his wrist urgently. I get up and follow him out. I put on the first pair of shoes I spot by the door, a pair of fluffy slippers. The door closes behind me as we leave and retrace our steps back to where we first saw Kylie up close.

The doors to the dining area whoosh open again and Killian and I step in. Kassi, Kylie, Finnick, and Alaina, Kassi's mentor, are already seated. Alaina Lucius is a muscular woman with a pixie cut and a pair of unnerving violet eyes.

'Late,' Kylie says curtly, picking up her napkin.

I grit my teeth.

'Sorry,' I say not very apologetically.

The supper is served in several courses. There's beef and mashed potatoes and custard and vegetables and rice. I can't keep up with anything. The others dig in heartily, but Kassi and I gawk at the large amounts of food before finally stuffing our faces. If we're going into the arena, might as well put on a few pounds. If it's freezing, at least we'll have something to keep us warm, and if we can't find food to keep us going, our bodies will have something to burn.

Once the meal is over, I don't feel too well. I'm not used to such rich food in such copious amounts. I notice Kassi is clutching her stomach, and she mumbles a quick "Excuse me" before pushing her plate away and rushing out of the dining room. I pour myself a glass of water from a pitcher nearby and try as best as I can not to throw up.

We all go to another compartment. I look back at the table, where the two Avoxes are cleaning up after us. I follow the others' lead and sit down on the large semicircular couch. The screen flickers on and I realize we are watching a recap of the day's Reapings. I watch as the first few tributes volunteer. Kassi rejoins us at the District Three Reaping, just in time to see the two tributes shake hands. Then it's our turn. Kylie claps her hands excitedly. I watch again as Kassi mounts the stage, then my voice ringing clearly across the Square as I volunteer. Two siblings from Five volunteer, a spunky looking girl with choppy jet black hair and a well-built blond. But the District Six Reaping is more interesting. As the female tribute is called, a small girl who looks about twelve, rushes to grab her, crying. The female tribute attacks one of the Peacekeepers after he hits the smaller girl. She's yelling at the top of her lungs. Yelling things that in normal conditions would have her arrested and executed. The cameras focus on her face as she stands onstage. Her face is set in a stony and unflinching expression, challenging people to even dare and approach her. Her expression stays with me. The rest of the district Reapings are a blur. I keep in mind that these are all people I'm going to have to kill if I want Kassi to go home. The anthem plays and that's the end of the program.

'Well that makes for an interesting year,' Alaina says, sipping her drink with a small smirk. I remember how she won her Games. She managed to convince the majority of the tributes that she was their ally, and would then kill them in their sleep. She then used the container of a used sponsor gift to trick the rest into being poisoned. She had to do a very minimal amount killing by combat. She seems to be a very cunning woman; resourceful but still somewhat evil.

I look at Kassi. Her face is blank, her teeth clenched. I put my hand her shoulder. 'Hey,' I whisper, 'You're going to go home.' I guess that's the wrong thing to say, because she shrugs my hand off and stands up abruptly.

'You can't always be the hero, Percy. I can't have this on my conscience,' she says and storms out of the train compartment, probably towards her bedroom.

Finnick whistles and raises his eyebrows while Kylie places a dainty hand on her face and whispers "My, my, my" to herself. 'Maybe I should talk to her,' she says and stands up. That's a stupid conclusion to make, and I want to tell her she shouldn't bother her, but deep down I'm hoping Kassi takes some of her anger out on Kylie. Stupid privileged Kylie with her high pitched voice and Capitol fashion sense.

'You two are close?' Alaina says, looking at me intently.

'They're cousins,' Finnick answers for me just as I'm about to respond.

Alaina raises her eyebrows. I guess she's processing what my intentions for the Games are, and how that benefits Kassi. After a few seconds, she switches channels to one of the Capitol's talkshows, and that seems to be the end of the conversation.

I take that as my cue to leave. I need to think. I need to plan. Everything is such a mess. I reach my bedroom and throw myself face first onto the bed. I flinch as I feel something stab me in the neck. It's the fishhook from the mayor's daughter, Rachel. I think of what she said to me. How could she know anything about my father? How could she even know anything he'd said to me? It hurts my brain to even think about the topic. It's worse that I know I'll never speak to her again.

I feel the train slowing down. At the speed the train has been going, I wouldn't be surprised to be arriving already, seeing as Four isn't too far away from the Capitol. I sit up and look out my window. A landscape is slowly coming into focus, the sun is just about to finish setting, then suddenly everything goes dark. I assume we're in the tunnels leading to the Capitol. I think about the massive amounts of rock above us and feel jumpy. The tunnel goes on forever. I decide to leave my room and find Kassi. I walk across the carpeted hall separating our doors and knock. I get no response. I remember our last exchange and decide to give up and maybe find the mentors. The only conversation we've had so far would be of no use to me in the arena. I need a strategy. I need proper advice.

I walk to the dining car to find it empty, except for Finnick sitting by the window, a mug of something hot in front of him. I decide this is a good time to deliver my message.

'41 North, 74 West. Find us,' I say, sitting facing him.

'What?' He gives me a puzzled look.

'The message. From Annie.' I try to stay civil. He could be what helps me keep Kassi alive and I can't lose that.

He nods.

'Thank you.' I don't know why it makes me tick.

'Thank you? So that's it?'

'What did you expect?' He seems bored.

I'm lost for words. We watch the dark rock zoom past through the window.

'How do you live with yourself?' I ask him. Now I'm just exasperated, and I truly want to understand.

'You were somehow in my shoes once, and now you're here. You lie with the people of the Capitol. They adore you. But you have someone who seems to deeply care about you back in Four, another victor, and you don't seem to care about anything at all.'

'I care about many things, Percy. You more than anyone seem to know how important it is to keep your loved ones safe,' he looks at me with so much intensity I have to look away.

'If I could go back, I never would have volunteered. Never would have been a Career in the first place. The life I live... It's not what I expected.'

'Then what did you expect?'

'I'm not sure. I was fourteen. I was foolish. I was blinded by what I saw in the Capitol. But this is where my choices have led me.'

The conversation has taken an odd turn. I wasn't expecting to be having a heart to heart with Finnick. He seems like someone so carefree and nonchalant that it's unnerving to see him so solemn. All I can gather from this is that he does care about Annie in his own way.

'What plan do you have in mind?' He asks me, thankfully changing the subject so I don't have to.

'I need to keep her alive. Kill all the others off and then eliminate myself so she can go home.'

He nods. 'That's what I understood. But is that what she wants?'

'I...' I pause, 'I don't know.'

'There you are!' Kylie chirps swooping in.

'You know I have a weakness for all things sweet,' Finnick says, smiling seductively at her as he picks up a sugar coated pastry from a display on the table. The personality switch I witness is dizzying.

Kylie goes a bit pink and rolls her eyes.

'Don't be silly,' she says, but she's clearly enjoying the attention, 'I meant Percy!'

'Kassi is being completely _unreasonable_! She's locked herself in the bathroom and won't come out!' She shakes her head and takes a seat beside Finnick.

'I'll get her,' I say and head for Kassi's quarters.

'Kassi,' I say, 'Kassi, open the door!' I keep banging until I hear a click and she opens it.

'Oh thank heavens! I thought she would never leave!' She steps into the room and sits down on the bed.

'What was she saying to you?' I ask, curious.

'She wouldn't stop talking about the parade and how "fun fun fun!" it was all going to be..'

That did not sound like fun fun fun to me. I feel the train decreasing its speed even more. I remember what Finnick said about Kassi.

'We need to talk later. We need to make sure we're on the same page,' I say.


	5. CHAPTER IV: ANNABETH

Once Panem's anthem is done playing, the Peacekeepers take us through the front doors of the Justice Building. My arms are being held tightly by two of them. I try to stay as stiff as possible and look unbothered. Inside I'm a wreck. I still haven't fully processed what's happening. My leg makes maintaining a confident gait hard, but I manage it until I reach the assigned room. Luke is taken to his own.

I look around the room and try to remain grounded. We aren't poor(my mother was a router and both my father and Helia are mechanics), but it's hard not to be swayed by luxurious things. The room has thick velvet curtains, with a small white piano in the corner and a plush ottoman facing the door near a large fern plant. The walls are filled with pictures of previous mayors and of course, a large image of the devil himself, President Kronos.

I sit down and close my eyes. Luke is sitting in a room alone in the same building, the same way I am. I have to decide what I'm going to do. Will we be allies or enemies in the arena?

My family comes in, ushered in by a Peacekeeper. Elaine rushes to hug me, tears streaking down her face. The place where the Peacekeeper hit her is beginning to turn blue. I swallow down my rage and hug her as tight as I possibly can. I look at my dad who is standing awkwardly by the door. Helia is standing beside him holding Bobby and Matthew's hands. This is supposed to be my family. I hate how awkward this feels. I don't feel like anyone would miss me besides Elaine. Luke would have missed me, but this situation has its own set of conditions.

I don't really feel sad to leave them. Helia, Bobby, Matthew and my father are altogether one complete family. If what he wanted was a fresh start, he's only one more child away from having it.

'I'd like to talk to Elaine,' I say coldly, 'Alone.'

They all look at me awkwardly and say a collective goodbye. I gesture to the couch and Elaine and I sit.

'Listen. We don't have much time,' I say, 'Before mom passed away, she told me we have another brother. She had him when she was much too young and had to give him up. Try and find him. Explain the situation to him. His name is Malcolm Pace. I've met him before. You can trust him. I want you to get as far away as possible as you can from Dad. Understood?' She nods. I know she doesn't understand everything now, but I want her to be safe.

'Take all my belongings and yours and go. Stay out of the Peacekeepers' way. Don't break any rules in public places. Go to school. Don't sign up for tesserae. Don't associate with any rebels. Stay away from anyone who seems to be addicted to or dealing any morphling.' She nods solemnly, her tears still running down her cheeks. Looking at Elaine's face now, my heart crumbles.

'It's going to be okay,' I tell her, 'I'm coming back. I'll do everything I can to come back for you. I promise.'

This is my plan now. I have to make it through the Games. Whatever I feel for Luke isn't certain to be reciprocated. The love I hold for my sister is more important to me than my infatuation.

'Time's up,' the Peacekeeper opens the door suddenly. I hug Elaine tightly one more time before I let her go. Then I'm sitting alone again. I know no one else will come to visit. I don't even dare to hope that Malcolm will show up. In my seventeen years of existence, I haven't ever been one to build friendships with others. Maybe it's better that way. Less people will miss me if I do die. The promise I just made seems hopeless. A single tear runs down my face.

Six's tributes are generally at a disadvantage; we have no experience with weapons. I rack my brain for any useful skills I might have that could help.

Before I can really come up with anything concrete, the Peacekeeper opens the door again and gestures for me to leave. I quickly wipe away the tear. He seems to be on edge. I want to believe it's because of my public outburst earlier. If it is, good. I am not here to be loved.

We're in the car on our way to the train station. I've already been there several times. It's a mandatory part of Six education to have knowledge of its transportation methods. Luke and I are silent. I can't tell what he's thinking. I hope he can't tell what I'm thinking; I'm hoping the other tributes get to him first before I have to. I try to think of his strengths. He's strong and fast, both skills he acquired from being on the school's track team. He's a good talker. He's managed to get himself out of trouble just by using his words, and a large dose of his charm. This could help him into manipulating the others emotionally. This makes two more strengths than I have. I need to train as hard as I can once we get to the Capitol, or I won't have a fighting chance.

There's a fuss due to the camera crew filming our departure for the recap of the day's Reapings tonight. I maintain the image I've already begun to build with the public. Stone faced and angry. The ideal image would have been sweet or seductive, to gain the Capitol's approval, but after my outburst, I don't know how to go back.

The train lurches forward, taking me with it. I stumble thanks to my leg, but Luke steadies me.

'You okay?' He says it with so much concern it's hard not to feel anything for him. I bury it under my metaphorical rug as usual.

I nod.

'Perfect.' I don't know why I feel the need to keep up the image in front of him too. He's known me for years. The only thing different now is that we have to kill each other.

We both decide not to talk anymore and go into the compartment. Diana and the mentors are sitting around a table. Only one of the mentors seems to be mentally present. The second is clearly a morphling addict. I can't even remember his name. I thank any higher power that could be looking out for me that I get one completely conscious and self aware mentor. Luke on the other hand is stuck with the morphling addict. That's good news for me.

My mentor is Celia Evrose. Her tactic had been silent but deadly. She'd stayed under the radar of both the Capitol viewers and the tributes, making use of the fact of her petite demeanor to always go unnoticed. She spent most of her Games finding different ways to hide and killed the last remaining tributes by throwing heavy rocks at their heads from a safe height. I could have used her approach, but I already stand out and the Games haven't even begun.

Diana sizes Luke and me up as we sit down. She's not as ditzy as the old escort and it makes me feel uneasy.

'Supper is in about an hour. You have time to rest and bathe before that. But before you go, just wanted to announce that you'll be winning this year.'

I furrow my brow.

'Which one of us?' Luke asks for the both of us.

'I'm not particularly picky about the specifics. I have my heart set on winning, and you two look like victors. So follow your Avoxes to your quarters and be back here for supper on time,' she stands up and walks away, leaving us and the two mentors at the table. Celia follows suit, placing a small hand on my shoulder as she walks past. I stare at the morphling addict. I can't even begin to comprehend how he qualified as a mentor. I huff, standing up and turning around to face the girl and boy that have been standing by the second compartment door the entire time. They look pretty average, nothing like the people of the Capitol.

The girl offers me a small smile and moves into the next compartment. I follow her to a door. She bows to me and walks away.

I walk in and am immediately ashamed to feel awe. The bed is about five times too large for the average human, covered in silk bedsheets and an assortment of colorful pillows. The furniture is made of a rich, dark wood. I have my own bathroom, with different shower settings and mirror lighting options. There is a screen with shows from the Capitol playing on hundreds of channels. I hate it all. Well, I don't actually hate it. It just feels wrong to let myself enjoy it.

I remember that I am about to be sent to my death. I am allowed to treat myself right now.

I rummage through the hanging clothes and pick out a large gray sweater and black pants. I don't feel like experimenting with the shower as I bathed this morning, so I just change out of my dress directly. Then I look through the array of products in the bathroom. I put a cream that smells like honey on my face and spray on some perfume. I don't know why doing all this makes me feel better, but it does.

I decide to use my time before supper to think. I lie down on the bed and resist the urge to fall asleep.

I am agile. As a child I used to climb trees and make my mother worry. These past few years I've been using the house's piping to climb into and out of the house for no valid reason except that I enjoy it more than sneaking around the house. If the arena has obstacles involving climbing, I can use that to my advantage.

I can knit. Of course in the arena this would be translated into weaving, since they use the same basic concept. I could weave webs, or build shields against certain substances, provided I can find the materials.

I have tried archery before. It was only trying out one of Bobby and Matthew's toys, but I know if i try hard enough with a real bow and arrow, I can learn how.

I am clever. I have no trouble understanding concepts or analyzing situations, and then planning strategically to suit my needs.

These are my strengths. I know they recap the day's Reapings at some point. I need to size up the rest of the tributes and plan from there. I sigh in frustration and press my hands into my eyes.

There's a knock on my door. I'm sure it hasn't been an hour yet. I can't say I'm too surprised to see Luke.

'Can we talk?'

I nod and sit up. He sits beside me. A short pause.

'What are we going to do?' He sounds genuinely concerned. It's like it hasn't really sunk in for him yet.

He says "we" like we're a team. Like one of us isn't going to have to die for the other to survive.

I decide to play along. Maybe pretending we're allies will help me later on. It's better to stay on good terms.

'I don't know, Luke. The only mentor that seems even remotely useful is Celia. And Diana seems like she has her heart set on one of us winning, most probably because she's new and wants to make a good first impression. I just... Need time to accept the situation.' I lie. I am one step ahead of that. I have the intention of winning in mind now.

He nods in understanding.

'If Sophia and Xander are watching over us, I'm sure they're happy we're not alone.' This makes my heart wrench with guilt. He takes my hand in his and I immediately want to let go. It's so much harder to think straight when he's around me. From a strategic viewpoint, Luke is one of my weaknesses. I need to distance myself.

'I'm sure they enjoyed each other's company at some point before the Games,' I say in a hopeful tone, 'I remember Sophia once mentioning she saw Xander as a younger brother, and that won over a lot of viewers in the Capitol.'

Luke looks down at our intertwined hands and I follow suit.

'How many people do you think this would win over?'

I go stiff.

'What do you mean?'

'Lovers. It would be a tragic story for them to enjoy.'

Maybe I underestimated him. He's accepted the situation enough to start thinking about the public opinions. I pull my hand away. My face is on fire.

'You want us to lie?' I say. It's such a weak retaliation. I can't even bring myself to look at him.

'Would we really be lying though?' He lifts my chin up so I can't avoid his gaze. And for some reason, oh no, he's moving his face closer to mine. I will my body to move away. To flinch. Tell him he's mad. They'll never buy it. I'm not that good of an actress. On the other hand I desperately want this to happen.. but not like this. Not for this reason.

I flood with relief when there's a knock at the door and the Avox girl walks in. Luke shrinks back immediately. The girl looks embarrassed, making panicked apologetic gestures with her hands. Luke leaves the room wordlessly and neither me nor the Avox do anything for s few seconds. Then she taps her wrist to tell me it's time. I nod and follow her our back to the dining car.

Diana and Celia are seated around the table. No sign of the other mentor. I am shocked to see Diana without her over the top attire. She looks very young. The only Capitol-like alteration I can detect is artificial eyelashes, but nothing too drastic beyond that. Under her wig, she'd been hiding a mane of auburn hair, and under her orange tinted contacts, a pair of intimidating gray eyes, with gold flecks scattered around her iris. She looks so elegant and put together it's hard to associate her with the yellow and orange monstrosity from earlier.

Luke and I just stare in awe at the sheer abundance of food placed in front of us. The meal is served in courses, and they keep coming, one after the other. There are different meats in sauces on beds of white grains and colorful vegetables I've never seen before. Baskets of bread in all shapes and sizes. Flower shaped buns, small buttered up rolls with seeds, sliced loaves filled with dried fruit... It feels like a lot to take in. Diana and the Celia are already digging in. I eat as much as I possibly can of everything. My stomach protests as I keep consuming food. By the end of the meal I can barely move, and I'm having trouble holding all the food down. My intention is to put on some weight between now and the Games. That way, I'll have a layer of fat to burn before my muscles and organs are affected by cold or starvation. I feel sick, and I notice Luke doesn't look like he's faring too well either. My mind wanders back to what happened in my bedroom, and I feel hot all over. I wonder if I would feel this bothered if I only viewed him as a friend.

After supper, we move to another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings. I focus on the tributes faces and demeanors. District One shockingly only has one Career, the male tribute. He doesn't look like much, tall and skinny with calculating eyes, but the fact that he volunteered is unnerving. The female tribute is a small dark skinned girl. She doesn't look like she could be a threat, but I decide not to underestimate anyone. District Two doesn't disappoint with two very large and intimidating Careers. The District Three tributes are nothing too special, but I know it's their technical knowledge I should be more wary of. District Four offers a terrified skinny girl and a male Career who finds out he stole his brother's chance at Capitol fame. District Five's tributes seem like a threat. Brother and sister both volunteered. They either really believe this is a game, or they really hate each other. Then it's our turn. I see the way I attack the Peacekeeper after he touches Elaine. I look manic. Possessed. Once I stop I take that aggressiveness to the stage and look around defiantly. Luke joins me on stage and I feel somewhat embarrassed at the way I behaved.

'I'm glad you did that.' I whip my head in Celia's direction.

'You have something to work with,' I nod, not really wanting to speak. If Celia sees potential in me then so can the other tributes. I hope the Capitol viewers see the potential in me too. I need to gain sponsors to make it through.

The District Seven tributes aren't much. Neither are Eight's. Only thing about Eight is how physically attractive the female tribute is. She can have the audience wrapped around her little finger in a second if she plays her cards right. Nine's tributes are average. Ten's female tribute has a facial expression that makes me think I should be wary of her. Like Eight, Eleven's female tribute has a chance at using the seductive card. The Capitol loves that. Twelve's tributes are sadly but unsurprisingly the weakest looking ones. Two starving fifteen year olds. They shake hands. The anthem plays. That's the end of the program.

'Let's talk,' Celia says, standing up. I follow her back to the dining compartment, barely sparing Luke a glance. I don't have the emotional energy to waste on him I notice him heading towards the mentors' compartment.

'The first thing we should talk about is the Opening Ceremonie,' Celia says, sitting down in a couch by the window.

I nod.

'We have to wear costumes that will represent the district,' I say, remembering an array of horrible costumes of the past years.

'Yes. That's in the hands of your stylist. But beyond that, the Opening Ceremonies are a chance for you to set yourself apart, cement your image.'

'My image,' I mumble, 'Do you think the image I'm trying to sell will win them over? I look violent and defiant. I don't think the people in charge of the Games would want me to win.'

She shrugs. 'It's up to you whether or not that's the image you want to stick with. There's still the interview stage where you can blame your outburst on something to win the audience over.'

I think about it while one of the Avoxes serves us hot tea. I think again about Luke's idea. I sip my tea. It has flower petals floating at the top.

'How would the Capitol react to... a tragic love story?'

Celia's eyebrows shoot up.

'Like if Luke and I could fabricate a story for them to pity us. Wouldn't that set us apart?'

She nods. 'Yes. It would. But that would be helping him as well.'

'I know. But this was his suggestion. We only know each other because both of our siblings died in the Games the same year. Pretending that that made us fall in love with one another should make the viewers feel some kind of pity shouldn't it?'

'You think strategically. That's good,' she says, 'And if that's the story we're trying to sell, then I have a few ideas. I'll try to discuss them with Killian. Just do as I tell you. For now, rest up. We'll be in the Capitol by morning.' I assume Killian is Luke's mentor.

I finish off my tea and wish her goodnight as I head off to my room. I jump when I look up to find Luke waiting by the door.

'I thought it would be weird if I waited for you inside,' he says, shuffling his feet, 'I want to finish our conversation from earlier.'

'Okay.' I open the door to the room and we both walk in. We sit at the edge of the bed.

'So did you think about it?'

I nod my head and inhale deeply.

'Yes. I approve of the idea and so does Celia.'

'I didn't mean to come off as insensitive to your feelings.'

I furrow my brow.

'What do you mean?'

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like you've developed... something for me. The last thing I would want to do is hurt you.'

I can hear my pulse in my ears and feel my face flushing red. So he knows. I don't know whether I should own up to it or ridicule the idea. Confirming it would give him the upper hand, but denying it would make me feel weak and pathetic.

'You're wrong,' I say, 'I love you like a brother, Luke. I see you as the universe's apology for taking Xander away from me. But if pretending to be deeply in love with you can help my odds in the arena, I have no problem pretending.'

I hope my message is clear. I value my life more than I do his. I will help him if I can, but ultimately, I am here to win.

'I understand,' he says, 'Goodnight, Annabeth.' He kisses my cheek before heading to the door. I know my nightmares will come haunt me in my sleep, but I restrain myself from asking him to stay. It's going to be a long night.


	6. CHAPTER V: PERCY

Kassi and I return to the dining compartment. There's light again, meaning we must be in the Capitol. Looking out the window, we cant help gawking at the sight before us. The Capitol is just as grand and extravagant as the cameras have made it seem. Glistening towers extend upwards, touching the sky. Evenly paved streets are crowded with bright colored cars and people alike. District Four doesn't lack color. There's the changing hues of the sky, the water, the palms, the houses. Yet, its colors are so much more muted than the painfully bright ones we see now. The colors here seem too artificial. Too saturated.

The people that recognize the tribute train begin pointing at us excitedly. Both Kassi and I back away from the window.

'No, Kassi. Wave at them. Be the sweet little girl they want to see. One of them can be the difference between your life or death,' I hear an assertive voice say. It's Alaina. She is standing in the doorway, arms crossed, tattoos bulging over her biceps.

I see Kassi swallow as she nods weakly and puts on a fake smile. She begins waving at people who wave back. The same people that will eagerly watch us die on their screens not too long from now.

I'm glad Finnick isn't here to tell me to wave. Befriending and seducing the audience was his approach, but I'm still unsure of what mine is. So far I've looked unaffected and distant, and I know deep down that that probably won't help me with the sponsors.

As soon as the train stops, we are rushed to the Remake Center. Kassi and I are taken to our respective rooms to wait for our prep team and stylist.

'Ooh, she is going to be de- _light_ -ed!' Someone says in a high pitched Capitol accent. She looks a little terrifying. Her face is covered in jewelry, her blue hair is half shaven off and she has a pair of fangs when she smiles.

'I'm Sybil!' She says happily and I cringe at the sound of her voice.

'This is Matteo,' she gestures to a short man with a snout and whiskers, 'and Elpis.'

Elpis has blue tinted skin and golden irises, with golden tattoos to match all over her arms.

'Let's get started!' Sybil claps her hands.

In the next few hours, my body is bathed (again), scrubbed, and shaved. Then they apply a shimmery oil all over me. It looks like there are actual specks of gold in it. I feel like a piece of meat about to be roasted. They wash my hair, putting in at least ten different products that are supposed to make a difference.

At one point Matteo grabs my face and begins drawing lines on my eyebrows. Then Elpis comes in and begins plucking hairs out. I flinch and notice my eyes tearing up. Then Sybil makes a fuss of a small collection of pimples on my forehead, mumbling about young skin being a pain to work with. I don't think I ever cared much for my skin or what was on it besides washing up with soap. Sybil suddenly puts a red salve on my face which burns so much I want to cry out, but before I can react she wipes it off swiftly and shows me my reflection. The pimples are miraculously gone.

Next they address my hair, which I personally thought looked fine. Matteo clearly disagrees as he continuously shakes his head with every snip of his scissors. It takes longer than I expected it to.

'All done!' He announces with a clap of his clawed hands.

They make me remove my robe and circle me a couple of times before deciding that this is the best they can do. I feel a bit self conscious being naked in front of people, but I just hope this will be over soon.

Sybil fans herself.

'You look fantastic, darling. The audience is just gonna gobble you up!' The other two just nod enthusiastically.

'Who knew the next Capitol heartthrob would be assigned to us!' Matteo says, touching his blushing face.

'Let's call in Aphrodite,' Elpis says, gesturing for the others to leave. I think I like her best.

I try to hate the prep team, but I can only muster up annoyance, and it's mainly directed at Sybil for being so chatty.

I itch to pick up my robe, to not feel so naked. The more I wait, the more tempting picking it up seems. Just as I give in and am bending down to pick it up, the doors open again.

I stand up quickly and am completely shocked at how effortlessly beautiful the woman before me is. I recognize her from earlier years' interviews. I can't pinpoint her exact age. She could be twenty or sixty, I can't really tell. Her lavender hair is in a flawless updo atop her head and she is wearing a short flowery dress that seems to blend in with her milky skin. She is breathtaking. My self consciousness intensifies stupidly. I am not here to impress her, but deep down, my subconscious mind wants me to.

She smiles a dazzling smile and puts a delicate hand to her mouth.

'Oh my heavens! I was right to choose you!'

The doors close behind her and she extends her hand for me to shake.

'Hello, Percy. I'm Aphrodite, your stylist.

'Hello,' I mumble, shaking her hand and hoping my face isn't flushing too intensely.

'Would you mind letting me get a good look at you?' She asks.

'Uh.. Not at all.' Of course I do mind.

She circles me like the prep team did.

Once she's done she asks me: 'Did you do strenuous labor back home?'

'Swimming often. Trawling. Fishing. Do those count?'

She nods.

'You're very well built. I'll make sure the audience gets a clear view of that.'

I mumble a small hesitant thank you.

She circles me one last time, this time focusing on my face.

'And your profile is simply divine. You have a great shot at winning them all over.'

I don't want to win them over. I want to yell that at her. They should be looking at Kassi instead.

'Put on your robe and let's have lunch. I hear you didn't have time for breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, you know?'

The most important meal I've skipped too many times to count, I want to say. I pick up my robe and follow her into a small room. It's very minimally decorated, with three bare white walls and a window occupying the fourth. There are two green couches facing each other with a table between them. Aphrodite sits down on one of the couches and I follow suit, sitting across from her.

'I hope you like chicken,' she says, pressing a button on the side of the table. I stare in awe as a second tabletop rises up with our steaming lunch on top. It's chicken marinated in a thick dark sauce on top of a bed of flat noodles. There is also an assortment of vegetables - carrots, peas, onions and beetroot- and a peach colored pudding with whipped cream for dessert.

After last night's dinner, I actually don't feel hungry for once. The amount of food I had was more than I'd usually have in a week. Yet here I am, presented with another meal less than a day later. I don't even think the people of the Pier have meals this extravagant. I can only identify some of the vegetables thanks to learning about them. I never dreamt I could try them unless I got really lucky. I wouldn't say the situation I'm in right now makes me lucky. Quite the opposite actually.

'Would you prefer something more... fish based?' Aphrodite asks. Her tone makes me uneasy. There's a mix of pity and condescendence that throws me off. Does she feel sorry for me, or is she irked at the fact that an underprivileged kid is being picky?

'No, no. It's just.. A lot of food,' I say, picking up my fork and finally eating.

'Thank you,' I say, my mouth full.

She dabs at her mouth with the cloth napkin.

'Now about the opening ceremonies. I've spoken to Krios, Kassi's stylist, and we've come to an agreement for your costumes. My previous experience has taught me that simplicity is key, which is why my tributes always look the best.'

I tense up a bit at the realization that Kassi is alone and relatively naked with an adult man. I couldn't care less about what Aphrodite has to say about what I'm wearing tonight if I'm being honest. As long as I'm not naked on that chariot, I can handle whatever she throws at me.

'Is it a fisherman's outfit?' I ask, because that seems to be the most recurring outfit for our district.

'Well, we're not really focusing on the fishing aspect this year.'

'What do you mean?' There's not much District Four has going for it besides fishing, so I'm not sure I understand what she's getting at.

'I've been meaning to get a tribute from your district for a while now, so here's what I've come up with. District Four used to have a crystal trading business, correct?'

'Yes,' I say.

'And currently you provide us with pearls as well,' she touches her pearl necklace for emphasis.

'There's also the shells that are quite aesthetically pleasing to look at. So I thought we could combine those to create some eye catching pieces and steal the show!'

She sounds proud of herself, but I can't mirror her excitement. Again, as long as I'm not naked, I really don't mind anything.

Several hours later, I'm standing half naked. I'm thankful it's the top half of my body and not the bottom. If this is what Aphrodite considers simple, I'd hate to see what the other tributes are wearing. There are brass cuffs on my arm that go up to my elbow. The design incorporates all three, crystals, pearls and seashells. I have a matching shoulder piece dominating the left side of my body, and a belt to hold the skirt made of sheer iridescent blue fabric that reaches down to my knees. Speaking of my knees, that's how high the sandals I'm wearing go. The "key piece", as Aphrodite called it, is definitely the crown on my head, made mostly of seashells. Aphrodite also insisted on false scales on my face to tie the look together. All in all, I'm cold, tired, and feel completely stupid.

Kassi shows up, wearing a version of my costume more suited to her. Instead of a skirt, she is wearing a long dress, and she's exchanged my cuffs and shoulder piece for heavy jewelry. She looks weighed down and uncomfortable. She cracks a smile when she sees me.

'I never thought we'd be in this position,' she says.

'Neither did I,' I return her smile.

Both our prep teams begin gushing at how breathtaking and original we look, congratulating Aphrodite and Krios on their work. They both bask in their praise.

We're taken down to the bottom level of the Remake Center, where all the horse pulled chariots await. We're here relatively early. I can only spot the tributes from One, Eight and Five by their chariots. Our horses are snow white. The four of them are eerily calm, barely moving unless instructed to. Finnick and Alaina show up. Alaina looks unimpressed, but Finnick has a small playful smile on.

'You two look fantastic,' he says. Kassi blushes, which is expected. I realize he's eating something. Are those... sugar cubes? He notices me looking and extends his hand towards us.

'Want a sugar cube?' He asks. We both shake our heads. He offers them to Alaina who obviously doesn't want any either. Finnick just shrugs.

'Before it starts, I have some pointers,' Alaina says, taking Kassi aside.

'Look sweet and bashful. Wave at them if you want to. Remember to smile, but make it look natural.' I tune out their conversation and turn to Finnick.

'Don't you have any pointers for me?'

'Oh,' he snaps his fingers, 'I do. But before that, I just wanted to ask, what's your angle here?' I know he means my image with the audience.

I shrug.

'Which angle is best in your opinion?'

'I'd say you have a good shot with seductive and brooding. You know you're attractive, right?'

I can't help feeling a bit bashful at the moment. I mean, my mother and aunt used to tell me how handsome I am, but I never thought much of it. Now it seems like Aphrodite and Finnick agree.

'I guess..'

'You've pulled off the brooding bit, now you need to charm the audience a little. Give them something to work with. A small smile goes a long way. Not for too long though.'

I nod.

'Also, later on for the interview portion, you're going to be mentioning your relation to Kassi. So today, hold her hand and make it visible you're a team. I know you're not in this to win, but if you're going to protect Kassi, you'll need to make sure people don't want to approach you. It'll look like you want to be the one to end her life, or vice versa. It'll intrigue the audience. Otherwise, she'll be easy prey.'

I see what he means. I build this image that I'm untouchable and strong and only there to keep Kassi safe, they'll think twice before trying to harm her. I nod at his words.

'Got it,' I say. That seems to satisfy Finnick .

Our mentors and stylists wish us good luck. They'll be watching. Kassi is being helped into the chariot. When it's almost my turn, a hat hits my feet. It looks like it rolled here. I pick it up. It seems to be a black train conductor hat. Not a very modern one. Maybe one worn a century or so ago. It's been upcycled to something more fitting to Capitol fashion, with shiny black details. I look up to find the blonde tribute from Six. The one who assaulted the Peacekeeper. I must stare for too long because she clears her throat.

'My hat?' She asks, extending her hand out to me.

'Oh. Yes. Sorry,' I say, handing it back to her. She shakes her head at me and puts it on.

She gives me a once over with her piercing gray eyes and goes: 'Good luck,' before running off to her own chariot.

'Good luck!' I shout after her a little too late. A few heads turn my way. It's not commonplace to wish your enemy good luck, but for some reason she feels like an ally, I think, remembering her facial expression at the reaping. It's just so unfortunate that I have to kill her.

I'm helped onto the carriage. It seems like the parade is about to start.

'Finnick said we should look like a team,' I tell Kassi. She frowns.

'But that doesn't make any sense. We have to kill each other.'

'Yes. But we can be allies. Pretend we're going into this without any knowledge of who's going to win. Like it's a twisted competition.'

She still looks hesitant.

'Won't that seem like you're giving up on winning?'

'Even if it does, I have the interview to explain myself.'

The opening music begins. It's so loud I have to shout my next words. The District One and Two tributes have already left.

'Just trust me on this!'

She finally agrees to hold my hand just as we enter the city. I've never known Kassi to be obedient, but she follows what Alaina has told her to do. She smiles sweetly enough to give you a toothache and waves at the people cheering us on. I, on the other hand, maintain a neutral but cocky expression, giving the audience my attention sparingly. I think the approach works, because I hear screaming and some people even shout my name as soon as I crack a small amused smile. This persona is so unlike me, I feel a little uneasy. I can see people being confused at our holding hands at first, but by now they're already focusing more on the chariots behind us to really care. For some reason I feel curious about the Six female tribute. What approach has she chosen? It has to align with her aggressive outburst doesn't it?

I lose my train of thought until we arrive at the City Circle. The chariots are aligned in a semicircle, facing buildings filled with the most prestigious citizens of the Capitol. Now, President Kronos himself gives the official welcome from a balcony above us. He is an imposing man in his sixties, with salt and pepper hair and a beard trimmed in a very Capitol fashion. I notice they cut to the tributes' faces during the speech. I don't look half as stupid as I thought. Maybe Aphrodite did know what she was doing. The anthem plays and our horses go around the Circle one last time before going into the Training Center.

We are ambushed by our prep teams who tell us how wonderful we were. The other tributes are giving us odd looks, probably due to the hand holding. Aphrodite and Krios help us out of the chariot.

I accidentally make eye contact with the tribute from Six, and now it's my turn to be confused, because she is holding on to the male tribute's arm in a way that suggests something other than friendship. She looks away quickly as they walk away, leaving me to wonder what their angle is...


	7. CHAPTER VI: ANNABETH

**A/N: Hello. I don't generally write author's notes because they stress me out, but I really had to apologize for not updating. Between moving to a new house and starting university again, I couldn't really find the time to sit down and write. I also just wanted to thank anyone who's actually reading and willing to keep up with this story so far. I've been planning to write this for so long, so it really means a lot to me that people like it. Since I have a busier schedule now, I'll try my best to upload one or two chapters once a week between Thursday and Sunday. I really hope I manage it.**

 **xx**

I wake up to loud knocking on my door. Diana yells out something I can't quite make out in my half conscious state. I groan and get out of bed. I cringe as I stand on my injured leg. With everything that happened yesterday, I'd completely forgotten about it. Right at this moment, I want nothing more than to crawl back into the giant bed and forget everything. My nightmares kept me up for hours before I finally managed to fall asleep, my mind consumed by a dark, blissful blanket. Rarely did I fall asleep and not dream. Well, rarely did I fall asleep, period.

I open the curtains and sit down on my bed to examine my wound. I pull up the pant leg and am greeted by the sight of bandages soaked in dried blood. I wince as I unwrap the gauze. The bandage was embedded in the exposed flesh, ripping out the clotted blood. I panic as I start to realize the mess I'm in. There's yellow pus around the wound, my leg has swollen up and I feel like I'm being baked in an oven. It's infected. As I'm hobbling around the room in search of clean bandages and any medication that could help, Diana walks in.

'Annabeth, you're going to be late for breakfast at this rate and-'

She looks at me with raised eyebrows. Her sharp eyes scan around the room and understand the situation.

'Sit down. I'll be right back.'

She comes back with bandages, a thick ointment and pain medication.

'This will hurt,' she warns me as she gets to work. Five minutes later, my leg is wrapped in fresh bandages. I can feel the ointment she used working as my temperature goes down and the pain is receding.

'Thank you,' I say to Diana as she's gathering up the supplies.

'There's no need to thank me,' she says, 'Just be glad it's not too severe.'

I nod.

'Where did you learn to do this?' I ask out of curiosity. I don't believe medical training is a very Capitol escort-esque skill.

She seems hesitant to answer.

'My brother and I trained as medics for a while. Now we're in the Games business.'

I frown in confusion, which makes her crack a small smile.

'Quite a career jump isn't it?'

I can only nod. This seems like an odd piece of information, and alarm bells are ringing in my head. A new escort who used to train as a medic?

'You'll meet my brother soon enough,' she says, and then, 'Stay in bed. I'll have one of the Avoxes bring you your meal.' She leaves me with my thoughts. I use the bathroom, freshening up in preparation for the day, and brush my curly hair. I braid it down my back and lie down in bed, staring at the compartment ceiling. I wonder if Elaine has found Malcolm yet. I hope she's coping well enough without me so far. She's so fragile, and my heart aches at the mere thought of her mourning me. This only strengthens my resolve to win. I think about what just happened with Diana. The exchange we had was the most pleasant one so far. Her powerful aura was less intense than it was yesterday, and my leg feels infinitely better thanks to her. I just wonder what she meant about meeting her brother soon. The medic training is also messing with my head. I sigh loudly.

There's a knock on my door and Celia walks in with the Avox girl, who is holding a large tray of food. I almost forgot how small Celia is. My stomach rumbles at the delicious smells now filling my room.

Celia sits at the edge of the bed as the Avox girl sets the tray down on my lap. There's a mechanism on the side that allows it to become a small elevated table so that I can eat comfortably. I stare at the abundance of food. There's eggs and ham and fried potatoes, with a bowl of chilled fruit and a basket of pastries. For drinks I have what I think is orange juice and a thick dark delicious smelling drink I fail to identify.

'I heard about your leg,' Celia says. The Avox girl bows to us and leaves the room.

'It's not too terrible now,' I say, biting into an apple and cream cheese filled pastry.

'It could affect your performance in the Games. If other tributes realize you're still healing, it could mean trouble.'

'I think it was pretty noticeable I was injured at the reaping,' I say between mouthfuls of food.

She shakes her head.

'It didn't show. You did a good job hiding it.'

I feel a little swell of pride at that for some reason. 'I didn't realize.'

The room around us is suddenly pitch black, and my heart rate immediately goes up.

'We're nearing the Capitol,' Celia says, reaching over and turning on one of the lights on the nightstand. She stands up and dusts herself off.

'You're not going to like what they do to you when you get there, but just let them do their job,' she says. She heads for the door as I'm finishing my breakfast. I feel useless lying in bed like this. The pain has subsided greatly, so I decide to join the rest in the dining compartment. I grab the mug of dark liquid before I go. Diana, Luke, Celia and Killian are seated around the table much like yesterday evening. They look like they've finished their meal as well. Luke seems to be trying to get any useful bits of advice from Killian, who is for the most part unresponsive, Diana is reading a glossy magazine, flipping the pages loudly, and Celia is cutting up a bright red apple. I take my seat at the table.

'Are you feeling better now?' Luke asks me, genuine concern in his voice.

I nod. 'Much better.'

He gestures towards my drink. 'It's amazing. I've never had anything like it before. Finished off three mugs.'

I look down at my mug and take a sip. I completely understand why he's have three mugs. It's so sweet and rich and soothing that it feels impossible to stop. I down the whole thing down.

The light outside comes back and I can't help but want to look at the Capitol and catch a glimpse of its grandeur. I guess Luke wants to as well because he stands up and heads over to the window in a hurry. I follow suit.

I try not to look too awestruck. The architecture is stunning. Intertwining towers made entirely of glass, glistening in the morning sun. Streets crowded with cars just as bright and colorful as their owners. Screens everywhere displaying different show segments and products advertisements. It's a lot to take in coming from our relatively drab district. Some of the people in the streets notice one of the tribute trains arriving and begin pointing happily and talking to one another excitedly. Some of them wave. I don't wave back. I think both Luke and I just stand and stare until the train stops.

'Wow,' he whispers as the train comes to a stop with not so much as a sound.

We're taken to the Remake Center, each of us being taken to separate rooms to wait to be prepped and styled. After a bit of waiting, three odd people walk in. One of them is completely white as snow. She is bald in a white dress, and her glassy eyes are kind of terrifying to look at. The second is displaying a smile with sharp teeth, and has eyelashes that look like flower petals. Her nose is unnaturally small and her eyes unnaturally large, giving her a terrified look. The third is the most human looking. I can't detect any significant alterations except for the designs covering his body that seem to have been carved into his skin.

'Hello,' he says and I try not to look too surprised at the sight of his forked tongue.

'I am Vasilios. These are Io and Melora,' he says, gesturing to the white woman then the terrified looking one.

'Shall we start?' Vasilios asks.

They wax my entire body first. I grit my teeth every time a strip is ripped off painfully. I was worried about my leg, but it seems like Diana's skills were better than I thought. The wound is mostly closed up, already beginning to scar. Io works silently and whispers something about shaving around it so as to not irritate the skin too much. Her voice sounds light as air. After the waxing, my body feels like it's on fire. Melora hums a tune as she applies a green slave on my limbs, soothing the burning sensation.

Io tackles my eyebrows, waxing and plucking until she decides they're even and perfect. My eyes water more and more with every eyebrow hair she plucks out. She then moves on to my upper lip. I flinch as she rips off the wax strip.

'Sorry,' she says in her whisper voice, 'You have more hair than I thought.'

Vasilios seems to be in charge of hair.

'Wonderful,' he says as he unravels my braid and my curls are let loose, 'Looks like spun gold.'

'I'd simply _kill_ to have my hair grow that color naturally,' Melora says. I stiffen up at that. She seems to realize her mistake and her face goes completely red. She doesn't say another word.

Vasilios washes my hair with a million different products, then to my surprise, starts cutting off large chunks of it.

'Apollo said your hair seems to be overwhelming you,' he says in means of explanation, 'This way it'll create a nice balance and make you face look more prominent.'

I can't exactly argue with that since they're the experts. Once my hair is styled in much smoother and neater curls than before, the three of them step back to look for any imperfections they might have missed, circling me like animals circle their prey. I am completely naked and can't wait for them to let me put my thin robe back on. Melora just claps her hands and gives a sharp toothed smile, her large eyes glistening.

'You could pass for a noble this way,' Vasilios says, 'Once all that hair and gunk is removed you're quite a sight.'

I try my best not to blush. I'm not very used to compliments.

I don't know how I feel about my prep team. Io is a little too eerie for my taste, and Melora is odd in a bright way. Vasilios is still closest to a normal person to me both physically and mentally.

I shiver as I stand there waiting. My robe lies in a sad heap on the floor. A few minutes later, I sneeze. When I open my eyes again, a man is standing there. He is tall, with broad shoulders and blond curls. I've changed my mind; _he_ is the most normal looking one I've seen so far in the Capitol. He is dressed in all black, his hands weighed down with golden rings. He has a thick line of golden eyeliner on each eye. He seems familiar, but I haven't seen him in any of the previous Games.

'Annabeth,' he says with a charming smile, 'Lovely to meet you.' He extends his hand for me to shake. His accent isn't as thick as the rest with their chirpy voices. It sounds fake and practiced.

'I'm Apollo, your stylist. The prep team did a great job cleaning you up. Now this..' he says, walking in a circle around me, ' _this_ is something I can work with!'

He claps his hands.

He picks up my wrist gingerly. 'Now, you're a bit on the skinny side aren't you?'

Before I can even respond he speaks again.

'We'll make sure you put on a few pounds before the interviews. The dresses I have planned for you are going to look breathtaking. Put on your robe and follow me. It's time for lunch.'

The only thing I can do is comply, so I pick up my robe and follow him into a tiny cubic room. Three walls are white and bare, with the fourth made entirely of glass overlooking the Capitol. The sun is high in the sky and glistens off of the iridescent surface of the skyscrapers. Two purple couches face one another, a glass and marble table in between them. Apollo and I sit across from one another and he presses a button on the side of the table. To my surprise, a new tabletop laden with food rises up. There's grilled meat covered in a sweet red sauce and herbs, on top of a bed of pearly white grain mixed with tiny onions, potatoes and peas. A basket of differently shaped buns is on the side of the dish, along with a dark brown pudding I can only hope is made of the same stuff I had this morning. I'm not hungry at all. The breakfast I had this morning was substantial enough to keep me going for the entire day. I think about how much effort it would take to assemble this meal back home, and feel a little sick. I don't even know where I could find half the ingredients in this meal, let alone afford them. Even if i could manage to make a decent plateful, it would be a poor substitute to the meal in front of me.

I notice Apollo is staring at me intermittently between mouthfuls of his own food and feel uncomfortable. He's already begun eating, so I pick up my cutlery and slice a piece of meat off.

'How's your leg?' He asks me, 'I trust my sister did a good job patching you up.'

I try not to choke on the tiny onion I just put in my mouth. I grab the crystal glass of water and gulp it down. I cough as I set it back on the table.

'You're Diana's brother?' I ask incredulously.

A small smile plays on his lips. I will admit, both siblings are equally as intimidatingly attractive. They both have the same eyes, but Diana's sparkle with intelligence, whereas Apollo's glint with mischief.

'I am. Her _twin_ brother nonetheless,' he says, sipping at his water. Why would medics in training become a stylist and an escort? It makes no sense to me, but I decide to ask no further questions. Instead I just nod and eat as much of my food as possible.

'So we should discuss your costume for the Opening Ceremonies. Celia and Diana said that you and Luke are to appear as an item, yes?' He seems to struggle with the accent.

'Yes,' I say, 'Have you lived in the Capitol your entire life?'

He raises his eyebrows at that.

'Of course I have,' he laughs, 'Where are you suggesting I came from?'

I just shrug. He clears his throat.

'So, you and fellow male tribute are meant to have matching outfits,' he continues in a rush, 'I was thinking, since your district provides transportation...'

'We're wearing train conductor outfits aren't we?' I accidentally cut him off. I hadn't meant to voice my thought out loud.

'Um, yes. But there's a twist, see. The headpiece has been designed specially by Luke's stylist Ness and me, giving an old design a modern twist. And the most important thing when it comes to transport is light signals, so your outfits will appear black, but they've been equipped with tiny pixelated screens in the fabric. When the ceremony starts, Ness and I will press a button on the collar and the fabric will change color between shades of green, orange and red.'

'How.. Interesting,' I say, finally reaching the pudding. It's the same flavor as the drink this morning, and I smile. It's texture is something between a froth and a pudding.

'You like the chocolate mousse?' Apollo asks with another smile.

I nod and don't say another word until I've scraped the bowl clean.

'Between us,' Apollo says in a whisper, 'You really do care for the boy don't you?'

I blink at him in confusion.

'Luke,' he says simply, 'Diana's given me some details.'

'Well I'll just have to make sure I exchange some meaningful words with her later,' I say angrily. I don't understand why the two need to discuss my private business. After all, they're only my stylist and escort.

Apollo raises his hands in front of him apologetically. His gold rings clink together with the movement.

'I didn't mean to offend you. I just think the bit of inside information I have could help you.'

'Go on,' I say, keeping my irritation in check.

'There's a chance you could both live,' he says. My frown deepens.

'I don't understand. The purpose of the Games is to have one sole Victor.'

He shakes his head.

'A source tells me they could allow two tributes from the same district to make it out this year. Doesn't that sound amazing?'

I look at him skeptically. I want to believe him, that both Luke and me can go back home at the end of this ordeal, but something about his tone is unnerving, like this isn't the whole truth.

'What's the catch?' I ask.

He shakes his head, hands still out in an effort to calm me down.

'No catch. Just thought I'd put you more at ease so you don't have to worry about killing him. The only catch is keeping this to yourself. You can't tell him either. Don't make me regret trusting you with this, Annabeth.'

He sounds genuinely worried so I just nod.

Before sunset, I'm standing in the attire Apollo described. My hair is braided neatly down my back, a black conductor hat strapped onto my head uncomfortably. The conductor jumpsuit looks plain and black. I'm glad it's not as revealing as some of the costumes I've seen in past Hunger Games. One year, the tributes from our district had had wheels glued onto their naked bodies. I shudder at the thought of wearing that in public.

Someone taps me on the shoulder and I turn around to face Luke wearing the same costume. He has his hat under his arm, his short blond hair disheveled.

'Hey,' he says, 'Ready?' He asks me. I just nod. I don't feel like doing much talking lately.

Our prep teams are discussing the suit mechanism, and how it'll look eye catching with the sun setting as the parade starts. We're whisked down to the bottom of the Remake Center, which just seems like a giant stable to me. The horses and chariots are lined up by district order. About half of the tributes are already there. As I'm stepping out of the elevator, my hat hits the elevator top and falls off my head, rolling away. I see the the male tribute from Four pick it up and examine it. His costume is much more detailed than mine, with several accessories and even a crown.

I walk up to him to get it back, but he just looks up at me and stares at me for what feels like forever. I clear my throat and put my hand out.

'My hat?' I say.

He looks a bit flustered. 'Oh. Yes. Sorry,' he says and hands it back and I put it back on, strapping it under my chin. I look at him again for a split second. I remember him volunteering when I watched the Reaping recap. He seemed handsome onscreen, but in real life he has more charm to him. I note the effort that's gone into his outfit, the detail that's gone into his makeup, and I feel underdressed.

'Good luck,' I say, not knowing how to end the encounter. He looks confused, his brow furrowed over his striking sea green eyes. I turn away and begin walking back to where Luke is standing with the horses. Halfway there, I hear the boy yell out 'Good luck' back. I don't know why it makes me smile.

'What?' Luke asks me, noticing my expression.

'Nothing,' I say, 'I just feel like an idiot remembering my hat hitting the elevator doorframe. Seems laughable at now.'

Luke grins.

'Yeah, it was a little laughable at,' he says.

Our horses are a dark chestnut brown, and seem to be trained so well there's no one guiding them around. They move obediently only when they're commanded to. Celia shows up to wish me good luck and ask how I behaved with the prep team and stylist. I answer her questions, but notice Luke's expression darkening, probably because Killian is most likely passed out somewhere. He's still frowning deeply as he puts on his conductor hat. I want to tell him about what Apollo said, that we could both live. Even if I don't completely trust Apollo, I do want to believe what he told me. What reason would he have to lie about this?

'Make sure you two look united. Act like you're an actual couple,' Celia tells us both then walks away. Suddenly, Apollo and a tall woman in a pink wig I assume is Ness are there, turning on the light from our collar. I stare in wonder as the black conductor suit begins to change color smoothly, alternating between the signal colors. The two stylists wish us good luck as we're being helped onto the chariot. All the tributes have arrived now. The ceremonies are about to start. We see the firs five chariots enter the city, and then it's our turn. I hear some ooh's and ah's as the audience gets a look at our costumes.

Suddenly, the chariot jerks sideways for a second and I think I'm about to fall out, but Luke grabs my arm and holds me steady. He gives me a reassuring nod, and I smile at him. Me falling was completely accidental, but the image we're projecting now is intentional. People are cheering loudly for their favorite tributes, throwing various flowers and objects into our path. I keep my smile on and keep holding on to Luke's arm. We arrive at the City Circle, and the horses stop in a perfect semicircle so we're facing the large buildings occupied by the wealthiest members of the Capitol.

President Kronos appears on a balcony to give us a welcome speech. I grit my teeth in anger. Back in Six, Kronos has no place in our hearts. The amount of rebel groups I've restrained myself from joining is unbelievable. I realize the cameras are cutting to the tributes' faces during the speech, so I do my best to look lovestruck and attentive simultaneously. The sun has almost completely set now, and I realize that Apollo was right; the glow of the jumpsuit is eye catching. The speech ends and the anthem plays. Then in another perfect formation, the horses go around the Circle once more before the doors to the Training Center close behind us.

Our prep team congratulates and compliments us, pointing out how close I was to falling off the chariot. We're helped off the chariot, and Apollo and Ness begin talking about our next outfits, but I can't focus. I can feel the tension radiating off the other tributes That's when I realize I'm still holding on to Luke's arm. I suddenly lock eyes with the boy from Four, and both of our eyes are wide. I quickly turn away and follow my entourage away from the chariots, but I can't get the image of his wide sea green eyes out of my head.


	8. CHAPTER VII: PERCY

We're ushered towards an elevator that leads to the tower we're meant to live in until the Games begin. Each pair of tributes has an entire floor; you just need to press your district's number when you get on. The only elevator I've ever ridden is the one in the Justice Building yesterday to say my goodbyes. This elevator is nothing like the creaky old box with flickering lights in the Justice Building. It moves smoothly and quickly, its walls made of clear crystal so you can see the people on the ground shrink as you go up and up and up. For a split second, I wish we were on a higher floor, then I remember how much worse the living conditions are in Twelve and feel stupid and guilty. Kylie, Alaina and Finnick ride up with us to the fourth floor. Kylie is chattering away about how great we were and how we looked like a striking pair in our costumes. I thought she would just leave after we'd arrived here, but now I know she and the mentors will be with us until we enter the arena.

'I've been telling the sponsors just how much potential you both have. From the strategies Alaina and Finnick have told me you've chosen, I've stressed on how you, Percy, volunteered to protect both your cousin and your brother eventually. And you, Kassi, I told them not to write you off simply because of how small and weak you look, reminding them how the underdog can come to bite back and win in the end..' She seems proud of herself, and to be completely honest, I'm actually thankful she's putting this much effort into getting people to like us. This means we have two mentors and an escort that work efficiently.

'Thank you,' I tell her, and I actually mean it.

'I've been talking you up to quite a few people too,' Finnick tells me with a grin, 'They bought the entire act and can't wait to hear your side of the story during the interviews. Two of them have sealed the deal.'

'You too,' Alaina adds, addressing Kassi, 'They might prefer your cousin because he has the volunteering advantage, but I've made sure they don't write you off. Told them you're small and nimble yet strong from your job you mentioned back home. They seemed impressed.'

Kassi cracks a small sad smile. I can tell she's trying to keep hoping for the best, but knowing that one or both of us may die isn't something that easy to forget...

I'm shocked at the size of my quarters. They could fit at least ten of the bedrooms Kassi, Tyson and I shared back home. Everything is also more technologically advanced than on the train, and I found that overwhelming already. I head for the shower, removing all the clunky, uncomfortable bits of costume and leaving them on the ground. Staying on that chariot was actually more difficult than I thought. I know I'm not used to bathing this often, but now that I have the chance, why not? I struggle with the shower, which has over a hundred options for things I never even considered important; temperature, pressure, shampoos, oils... All that mattered back home was how clean and warm the water was, and that you had a bar of soap to lather with. I somehow manage to choose from the options, and realize that showering every day would be a treat if this is how it's done. Once I step out onto mat, I jump at the heaters that turn on with a click and whir, drying my entire body in less than a minute. I touch my hair and realize that now that it's been treated in the Remake Center, it's already dry and smooth with no effort at all.

Next I virtually try on different outfits on the closet screen. I don't understand how so many clothing options can exist. I settle for something simple and comfortable, a thin black long sleeved shirt with black pants. Once I'm dressed, I try out any mechanisms I can find. The lights can be adjusted based on your mood. There's an endless menu of foods I didn't even know existed. You can switch the view of the Capitol to any setting you can imagine. I choose the ocean at sunset and my heart clenches. I didn't know I'd ache for home this much after two measly days. I wonder how my family is holding up. Tyson, my mother, Aunt Julia and the twins. I wonder what they thought of me and Kassi at the ceremonies, if they've watched them yet. I pace around the room aimlessly until Kylie comes to get me for dinner with a high pitched "Knock knock knock!"

I follow her to the dining room, where I'm surprised to find our stylists and mentors standing in the balcony, discussing something animatedly. I see no sign of Kassi, so I assume Kylie's just gone to get her.

Dinner is served by Avoxes dressed in white. I don't know what happened to the ones from the train, but these are new faces I don't recognize. I wonder where the boy who showed me his severed tongue is now...

First they serve us some wine. I've never had the chance to try any, so I accept it happily. It tastes like an odd mixture of things; grapes, vinegar, fruit and oddly, flowers. It makes me feel slightly sick. I leave the glass and decide to stick to water and fruit juices instead.

Kassi is sitting across from me, so I can't make any conversation. Instead I focus on the food while the rest make small talk about our strategies and upcoming events. Pumpkin soup, an assortment of greens and vegetables, tiny roasted birds in a thick orange sauce, cubes of sharp cheese served with slices of apple thin as paper wrapped around them. One of the Avoxes sets a gelatinous monstrosity of a blue dessert on the table. It jiggles as it stabilizes. I want to ask what's in it, but I inherently know the rest of the Avoxes have no tongues either, much like the boy on the train, so I ask Finnick about that instead.

'Why don't the Avoxes have tongues?' I ask.

'Lower your voice,' he says looking pointedly at Kylie and the stylists, 'Avoxes are people who had their tongues cut out for committing a crime.'

'Oh,' I say. I don't know why this fact disturbs me so much. All these people committed crimes serious enough to have their tongues cut out and be forced to live a life of servitude? I focus on my dessert before my mind wanders off too far. I'm not a fan of the taste nor the texture, so I just pick at it until it seems like everyone's done. Then we go into a sitting room to watch the replay of the ceremonies. The tributes from Two are clearly crowd favorites. When it's our turn to show up, people seem to love us too once they get past the hand holding.

'It gives them something to be intrigued about, with just the right touch of rebellion,' Finnick says smugly.

'Rebellion?' Kassi asks, looking worriedly at Alaina, 'That wasn't part of the plan, was it?'

Alaina shrugs.

'Some might interpret it that way. Look at how the other tributes stand at opposite sides of the chariot, stiff and separate. You show that you aren't enemies going into this, which is the entire purpose of the Games.'

'I'd beg to differ,' Finnick says, surprise evident in his voice. We all turn to the screen again. The tributes from Six are holding hands as well. We watch as the blonde girl nearly falls out of the chariot, but the male tribute catches her and they exchange a short but sweet moment gazing into each others eyes, smiling like they're the only two people in the world. There's no sign of the aggressiveness from the Reaping in the blonde girl.

No one's focusing on us anymore. The audience is now hungry for more information on the "Star Crossed Lovers from District Six", as they've been dubbed by the programme announcers. I think all of our jaws hang open. It was a crazy move to pull something like that, but the acting was spot on. You'd think they were actually in love. I don't know why I feel betrayed. The girl with fire in her eyes standing onstage at the Reaping and the girl onscreen batting her eyelashes don't add up. Up until right before the parade, when her hat rolled at my feet and I gave it back, I felt like in another universe, we could have been friends. Now I feel annoyed at the way she's behaved. I don't understand why. One exchange isn't enough to know a person, so it's completely irrational.

'Well, shit,' Finnick says, 'They stole the show.'

'I think you should both get some sleep,' Alaina says as the programme ends, 'Your first training session is tomorrow morning.'

'We'll discuss your strategies at breakfast,' Finnick says as a dismissal.

Kassi and I stand up and walk down the corridor towards our rooms. Kassi stops midway and faces me.

'We never concluded what we were going to do. We're a team, but who goes home now?' She's quiet for a while and then, 'You shouldn't have volunteered,' she whispers.

'Kassi, under any other circumstances, you could be angry at me for volunteering, but that was Tyson's name on that slip of paper, not any random boy. How can I regret letting him live?'

'I don't know, Percy. Everything about this is just.. wrong. Yes the odds aren't in our favor, but just think. How could so much go wrong for our family? Our fathers disappear. I'm reaped, then it would have been Tyson if you hadn't volunteered? Now here we are, at a crossroads. How can we decide which one of us lives and which dies? Neither of us wants to let the other sacrifice their life for the other. So what do we do?'

'I don't know I admit.. Just.. Why won't you just let me do this for you?' I say, my voice breaking, 'You know I can't bear the thought of you slaughtered in that arena.'

'Well neither can I!' Kassi's begun crying now, large tears spilling from her eyes. 'Do you think I'd be able to go home knowing you died for me to have that life? Every breath I'd take.. Every sunset I'd watch.. Everything would be too physically painful to bear.'

We're arguing in hushed tones, but I can't help but feel uncomfortable, like we're being watched. So I open the door to my room and drag Kassi in. The lights automatically blink on, and we sit on the two plush chairs at the corner of the table. Kassi is still crying and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.

'What if you switched our roles. If you die and I win, I'd be suffering just as much. I'm not being forced to do this, Kassi. I'm doing this because I love you. I love you and mom and Julia and Tyson and the twins. You have to let me do this for all of you.'

'But I just can't!' She sobs, 'I already feel guilty enough for having had my name come up first and..'

'Wait you can't be serious. That isn't your fault. None of this is. I'd still be here if you had or hadn't been reaped. I would've heard Tyson's name and been on that stage in a heartbeat. You know that,' I say.

'Percy, if that had been the case, you would be fighting to come back home, not save me and willingly kill yourself. We're going around in circles here,' she says in frustration.

'Why can't either of us let go?' I say, exasperated.

'Our family is known to be stubborn,' she sniffles. She's finally stopped crying.

'So what's the solution now. Neither of us is budging on this.'

'We could just fight in the Games like everyone else,' she whispers like she's araid I might hear her.

'What?' I say incredulously.

'Just hear me out here, Percy. We can mention how we're cousins and allies in the arena at first, but ultimately in the end, we'll part ways. Whoever manages to survive is the one who deserves to go home. Doesn't that make it fair?'

'No,' I say, outraged, 'It doesn't. I can't believe you'd even come to that conclusion.'

'How is it not fair? It's not like there's a way the both of us can go home. It's one Victor, remember? Whomever manages to make it furthest... If one of us even makes it till the end... That's who should go home.'

I can hear the blood rushing in my ears.

'Fine,' I say, 'Fine. If this is what you want, then that's it isn't it? ' I glower at her. 'Now, please leave,' I say, holding back so many emotions I don't even know how to react.

She looks miserable as she makes her way to the door and leaves silently. I didn't come here with the intention to live. I gave myself a death sentence without thinking about how Kassi might not want my help. But I can't wallow on that. This allowed me to save Tyson, so I won't regret it. I will fight in the arena, do my best. I sigh and crawl into the bed, not even bothering to change my clothes. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I dream of the ocean back home. I am nine, sneaking out of the house to go swimming. I know my mom would throw a fit if she found out, so I am very quiet. The scene shifts and I am in the water. I can't feel my legs. I begin to panic. I flail my arms and try to keep afloat but I can't. I am swallowing large amounts of water, coughing and spluttering. Then my arms give out and I sink down, down, down. Further than I've ever gone before. It's dark and I'm freezing. I can't breathe. My chest hurts. My ears pop. I try to scream but it's silent. No one knows where I am. No one will ever know what happened to me.

Suddenly I am awake, drenched in sweat. My heart is in my throat. I put a hand on my chest, just to make sure this is real. It rises and falls with every breath I take. I am alive. Light is just beginning to streak through the windows as the sun rises. I shiver as my body cools down, the sweat making my clothes stick to my skin. I guess it's time for a shower. I get in and just stand there as the different random options I choose clean me up. I realize that the scent of sand and salt from my days back home has almost completely disappeared, so I pick the ocean breeze scent option, trying to smell like myself again. Once I'm dry I step back into the room to choose an outfit, only to find that someone's set out clothes for me already. A long sleeved dark green shirt made out of stretchy material, loose black pants that allow movement, and a pair of leather shoes. I get dressed and spray on one of the perfumes available. I debate between sitting miserably on my bed and checking the dining room for food to stuff myself with. The latter sounds more enticing. Did anyone ever specify what time we were supposed to meet for breakfast? Am I supposed to wait for someone to come fetch me? I decide to ignore all that and head for the dining room anyway, hoping there will be something I can eat.

I have so many options I don't even know where to start. Yes, the table is empty, but theres a feast set out on a long table on the side. An Avox stands stiffly on the side. I don't know if I should say anything. I know they're supposed to be "criminals", but I can't help but wonder if their crime was as heavy as the punishment. After all, I did witness a ten year old from the Pier back home have his arm whipped to bloody shreds in the square for stealing a loaf of bread. I can't even imagine what kind of actions in the Capitol would require them to sever your tongue.

I decide I'm too hungry and have been walking slowly around the living area for a few minutes too long, so I might as well say something.

'Can I eat?' I say. Simple. Short. Straight to the point.

The Avox nods and I don't hesitate to pile the food onto my plate. I have fried eggs and sausages and baked potato with a green sour cream on top. Then a stack of batter cakes I drench in a thick blue syrup that tastes like blueberries and another fruit I don't know the name of. I sit at the empty table and eat everything off my plates, watching the sunrise. I go back for more of the batter cakes, and serve myself a mug of tea with white and purple flowers in it. There's coffee and another dark and smooth drink that I promise I'll come back for in a few minutes because if how delicious it smells. As I eat my second helping of food, I begin thinking of my family back home. It's barely been two days since I left. How is that even possible? I wonder if Mom and Julia are up yet, trying their best to make a decent breakfast for Tyson, Lily and Lance. I hope Tyson is doing okay. I hope he's managing to go to school and interact with the people around him. I want him to make friends. I always put my family first. At the beginning I would always run home to meet my dad and Uncle Triton. Then when Kassi grew up we'd sit together all the time and run back home to our fathers together. But then they disappeared, and I focused on my family more than ever. Looking back now, I wish I had made more friends my age, even if their only concerns were silly games and impressing girls. Now I feel like I've missed out, and I can't go back. That's why I want Tyson to do things a bit differently.

I realize I miss my mom so much I could just cry over my breakfast and not stop for hours. There's nothing stopping me but the Avox standing there like a silent sentry. I keep quiet and continue eating.

Kassi, Finnick and Alaina walk in as I'm dipping bits of dough rolls into rich drink I promised to go back for earlier. The mentors bid me good morning then fill their own plates, and join me at the table. I try to avoid looking at Kassi as much as possible. I notice she is wearing the exact same outfit I am. I know we're meant to appear as a team, but this seems like it will blow up in our faces sooner or later. Kassi and I both look tense and on edge, and I guess Finnick senses it.

'Woah, what's going on here?' He glances between the two of us as Kassi sits down with a plate of hot grain and different sauces.

I shrug as Kassi says: 'Nothing at all. Why do you ask?'

Finnick and Alaina both just raise their eyebrows and we all eat in silence.

I realize I feel nervous about the training. Three days of training, with a private performance in front of the Gamemakers on the third. We're going to have some time to interact with the other tributes, and somehow I don't feel scared. I've decided to make as many friends as I can, both to make up for distancing myself from others back home, and also because I think it would be useful to have more allies. In the end they might hesitate to kill me if I'm more of a concrete person in their minds, right?

'So,' Finnick says after leaning back in his chair. The Avox comes along and takes away his dirty plate and cutlery. 'Alaina and I were talking, and we wanted to know whether you would like to be coached together or separately. Generally it's separate, but seeing your situation...'

'Separately,' Kassi says firmly, setting her glass of orange juice down with a thud.

Finnick and Alaina exchange a glance. Alaina pushes back from the table and stands up.

'When you're done, meet me on the balcony,' she tells Kassi.

Kassi hurriedly wipes her mouth with the cloth napkin.

'I'm already finished,' she says, following Alaina out.

'What happened?' Finnick asks me, 'Did you fight?'

I grit my teeth.

'I guess you can call it that.'

'About what? Is it going to affect the initial plan?'

I hesitate, then nod.

'You were right. She doesn't want me to protect her in that arena. So we're going to be allies in public and for as long as possible, then part ways,' I say bitterly.

Finnick's mouth is set in a tight line.

'Okay, whatever it is. You guys make sure you work it out. Your image is what's gotten you this far. Now we need to focus on your skills,' he says, pushing his hair back. I notice a black tattoo on his inner arm I hadn't before; a symbol that looks like a mirrored angular letter "R", a vertical line, then the regular version of the first symbol, like a normal "R".

'Besides swimming and basic weaving, I don't see what I can bring to the table,' I say, remembering he asked me a question, 'If there's a water source with fish, at least I know I won't starve.'

'What kinds of fishing? Are you good with a trident?'

I remember how in his Games, as soon as he got his hands on a trident, it was all over for the other tributes.

'I spear fish from time to time,' I say.

He nods.

'Okay so here's the plan. You go in there and learn as many new skills as possible, got it? Anything that could be useful to you. Then you show what you're really good at in front of the Gamemakers, okay? The other tributes shouldn't know what your strongest skills are.'

That makes sense.

'That's it for now. You and Kassi should meet Kylie at the elevator at ten sharp.'

I nod and start to get up, but Finnick speaks again.

'And Percy? Don't look like you're enemies. Patch things up with her.'

I go back to my bedroom to sulk. I walk around, try different products, change the view from my room. I realize it's almost ten. So I just clean my teeth and make sure I look presentable in the mirror, then hurry to join Kylie and Kassi at the elevator. The elevator takes us to the training rooms underground. The doors open into a large gymnasium filled with various weapons and obstacle courses. Only the tributes from One, Two and Six are there, gathered tensely, I immediately notice the girl and boy from Six are also matching outfits in gray. I can barely remember their names from the recaps, but I think the girl's name might be Annabelle. The tributes have a cloth square with their district number pinned on it, and someone pins the number 4 on both Kassi's and my back. I remember my plan to make friends, so as I sit down I dumbly blurt out: 'I'm Percy.'

Everyone looks at me like I've completely lost it. Kass looks embarrassed, but I go on.

'Oh, come on. If we're going to kill one another, might as well know each other's names, right?'

There's a short silence where all I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears, then: 'Frank. Frank Zhang.'

It's the burly male tribute from Two. Despite how big he seems, his face has a certain baby-ishness to it, with choppy black hair and monolids.

'Hazel Levesque,' the small dark skinned girl from One says. Her voice sounds like liquid gold. I don't know how that makes sense, but it just does. Speaking of gold, her eyes might as well be. They look light brown but when the light hits them they look like actual gold.

The big, muscly girl from Two snorts.

'Are you fucking kidding me right now? You want us all to become friends now? What do you think this is? Some preschool game?'

'Honestly,' the boy from One sneers, his sharp features turned up in disgust, 'I'll slaughter you all in that arena whether I know you or not.'

I don't expect the girl from Two to begin howling with laughter. I don't think any of us do.

'You?' She manages, ' _You_ think you can slaughter _me_?' She asks incredulously. 'A bug wouldn't even die if you stepped on it!' She keeps laughing till tears come out of her eyes. We all just stare at her, our lips pursed, trying not to laugh. The boy from One probably only weighs a quarter of the girl's weight. It's hard to imagine him causing her any harm.

'I don't know what you're playing at here,' she says to me, wiping away a tear from one of her dark, beady eyes, 'But this blond string bean has put me in a good mood. Slaughter me he says.. Ha! I'm Clarisse LaRue,' she finally introduces herself.

'Luke Castellan.' The boy from Six, armed with a charming smile.

'Kassi Waters.'

'Annabeth Chase.' The girl from Six. Close enough on my part.

'Piper McLean.' A beautiful girl with choppy brown hair sits down beside Annabeth. An 11 is pinned to her shirt.

'Will Solace.' A blond boy with a sunny disposition. He sits down beside Piper.

As more and more tributes show up, I try to remember their names.

Charles Beckendorf, the tall and intimidating boy with too many muscles from Three. Leo Valdez, the skinny yet strangely smiley looking kid from Twelve. Jason and Thalia Grace, the siblings from Five. Silena Beauregard, a girl so beautiful she looks unreal from Eight. Grover Underwood, the twitchy ginger with a goatee from Nine. Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, the girl from Ten with the permanent stony expression.

'Octavian,' the weedy blond boy from one finally says, his voice cracking. He's been sulking since Clarisse had her fit of laughter at his expense.

'Well now that your introductions are over,' a deep voice says, resonating around the room, 'Wouldn't you like to know about the training?'

We all stop and stare at the man in front of us. His name is Chiron. He explains the different stations and training schedules. There will be experts for each skill at every station. We'll move from area to area, visiting different stations that would provide us with either survival skills or fighting techniques. It is not allowed to engage in combat with another tribute. Chiron reads out the list of stations. As I look around, I realize that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to try and befriend people here. Now my guilt would skyrocket if I killed any of them. Even Octavian.

'What do you want to start with?' I ask Kassi once everyone starts to disperse.

'We don't have to stick together,' she says.

'Listen, Kassi. I thought we ended on okay terms. We're doing what you said, but we have to look like a team.'

She huffs. 'You didn't seem to agree last night. And if anything, the matching outfits are more than enough to cement our team factor. I don't want to train with you, and Alaina says I don't have to,' she says stubbornly and walks off.

'Fine,' I say to no one but myself, fuming. I look around at the other tributes. I wince as I see Clarisse sends a spear through a dummy's heart from fifteen yards. Charles is lifting weights that probably weigh more than he does. Jason and Thalia are parrying with two assistants using swords. I walk around, looking at what each station has to offer, then as I'm turning around, a knife whistles past my ear.


	9. CHAPTER VIII: ANNABETH

After an eventless evening spent lounging around and gorging on all sorts of food imaginable, Celia had given me my instructions for the training. Stick to Luke and learn anything that seems useful. Being from District Six, Luke and I are definitely at a disadvantage, with barely any skills to offer. Now that I know we're a team for sure from Apollo, I can have everything I want. I can go back home, and get to keep Luke alive.

Thanks to the boy from Four, Percy, we now know the names that match the faces we are expected to kill. That wasn't the brightest move, at least not for me. Now I feel much worse about having to fight them to the death. As they were all introducing themselves, I imagined that we weren't in the Games. With the exception of a few select tributes, I could see myself befriending them. Building friendships at school was never a priority. Ever since Luke and me had met at the Justice Building to receive minor compensation for our family's loss, he'd remained the only non-relative friend I had, and the only one I wanted to keep quite frankly. I was always criticized for being "no fun" or "stuck up". It wasn't fun having to hear that I apparently behaved like I had a "huge stick up my ass" as someone told me once. Luke had been the only one to see past what everyone said about me, and I appreciated that I could be myself around him.

I decide to look around the stations with Luke, and we choose the knife handling station. We could learn how to fight with a knife or throw them from a distance. I decide on knife throwing first, since it can be done from a distance.

I should have known it would be tricky. Yes, I did expect it to be, obviously, but no, I didn't expect to somehow mess up so badly that my knife went flying in the opposite direction towards another station, almost slicing off Percy Jackson's left ear.

Time seems to slow down. He just stands there, dumbstruck. I let the other knives clatter loudly to the ground as both my hands go up to cover my mouth in shock. He touches his ear with his hand, it comes back stained with a bit of blood. We're both stunned, eyes wide. Time resumes its regular course again somehow and I see Luke running up to Percy and placing a hand on his shoulder.

'You okay?' He asks him.

'I'm so sorry,' I say apologetically, joining them in a few hurried steps.

Percy still seems stunned.

'You could have killed me!' He suddenly exclaims angrily, staring at the smattering of crimson blood on his fingers. It's barely a drop, but he's right of course; a few more centimeters to my left and it would have been nicely wedged into his skull.

'Yes, I know,' I say, gritting my teeth as my heart pounds in relief, 'I made a mistake. I'm sorry.'

From the corner of my eye, I see the Gamemakers jot down things furiously. They've been roaming around in their purple robes since we started training, but they've been mostly concentrated on the food banquet set out for them to enjoy.

Percy looks like he's getting angrier now. Why? If I had done it on purpose, then he would have every right to be. The fact that he's getting worked up over it makes me angry in turn, so we're both glowering at each other.

'What are you glaring at me for?' He says indignantly, 'What if it had lodged itself in my forehead? Or are you angry you missed your target? This isn't funny.'

'Of course I wasn't aiming at your head! And yes, I know this is serious. But imagine getting angry at people for bumping into you in a crowded marketplace. It really wasn't intentional. How can't you see that?'

This feels like a stupid and childish argument to be having. I made a mistake. I apologized. Yes, I realize it was a grave one, but there's nothing more I can do at this point. I don't understand why he's so angry about it if I can't go back in time and fix it.

'If I had thrown a knife in your direction, you would have been on me in a second,' Percy says, taking a step towards me so our faces are only a few inches apart. I'm momentarily distracted by the intensity of his eyes, swirling with different shades of blue and green, but I snap out if it immediately. 'I saw how you attacked that Peacekeeper at your district's reaping, so don't even try and deny it.'

This makes me tick, and I in turn take an angry step forward so our torsos are almost touching. Without thinking, I grab a handful of his shirt in my fist and tug down hard, bringing him face to face with me. He's several inches taller than I am, and I find it hard to seem more intimidating than he is.

'That was self defense, and completely irrelevant to the situation now. Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same if a Peacekeeper had laid a finger on your precious cousin or brother,' I say, remembering his familial situation. He suddenly blinks as thing come into perspective for him I'm guessing. 'If you had thrown the knife and apologized, I would've been rational enough to accept the apology nicely and without throwing a fit,' I hiss at him.

'I didn't throw a fit. I have every right to react this way,' he says, but with less hostility than a minute ago.

We just glare at each other, neither one of us willing to back down. I'd always had a problem with my pride, letting it get in the way and allowing it to create or amplify problems in my life.

'Let's all calm down here,' Luke finally steps in between us and pushes each of us slowly in opposite directions. He is easily entertained by conflict, I remember. Of course he'd wait for us to bicker. I now realize Percy and I had an audience. The rest of the tributes dropped what they were doing to pay attention to the argument.

Percy realizes too, and he's suddenly blushing, brushing off invisible dust off his shirt.

'She apologized to you,' Luke tells him, 'Just accept it and let this die already.'

Percy mumbles something under the lines of "Yeah, the same way I almost did?" under his breath. I try not to crack a smile because I'm still mad at him, I remember.

Luke heads to the Gamemakers and station managers to explain the situation with lots of hand gestures and strategically timed smiles. The tributes seem to have lost interest now that everything's calmed down so suddenly.

'I accept your apology,' Percy says meekly with a sigh, 'I didn't mean to get angry. It's more pent up at everything than directed at you. I may have overreacted,' he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, giving me a small sideways smile. I notice he has a dimple, which adds to his charm.

So he's finally come to his senses. I slowly relax and gather my thoughts.

'I understand. Sorry again for the knife. I'll make sure I aim for the target next time.'

'Or maybe aim for my head and it'll hopefully hit the target,' he smiles and the dimple makes its reappearance. I can't help but smile back.

'Truce?' I extend my hand towards him. I've decided I don't want Percy Jackson as an enemy just yet. They'll be plenty of time to throw knifes at his head later in the arena. But for now, I don't want him to harbor any negative feelings towards me. He looks like he could kill me easily, despite his cheeriness and friendly charm. I wish my aiming hadn't been so horrible, because it feels like I might have just put myself on Percy Jackson's radar, when the smartest thing to do would have been to stay off it.

He shakes my small hand firmly with his larger calloused one.

'Truce.'

I move from station to station, trying out different skills I think are useful. Luke's attention is scattered and instead of listening to Celia, he wanders off as he pleases, coming back to me to happily tell me he's managed to lift some weights or climb up a rope. I'm at the plant identification station, trying to pick the edible ones from a large array. I reach out to press on a reddish-purplish berry that looks edible to me.

'That one will kill you slowly. First you'll get really sweaty. Then you'll develop a rash that'll itch so much you'll scratch your skin off, bleeding excessively as a consequence. Then, forty eight hours after ingestion, you'll be paralyzed and start foaming at the mouth. And that's it. You're dead. You sure you want to go for that one?'

My hand recoils away from the berries at lightning speed. It's the pretty girl from Eleven addressing me. Piper if I'm not mistaken. She has a soft and elegant beauty to her, but the way she presents herself makes it look like she wants others to think the complete opposite. I remember her from the reaping recap; her hair was choppy and messy, like she'd suddenly gotten angry, grabbed some blunt kitchen scissors, and snipped it all off. Now, her stylists had given her a fringe that covered only half her forehead, and a perfect mane of wavy chocolate hair. Her eyes are definitely her most striking feature though, changing color from blue to green to brown with every different angle the light hits them, like a kaleidoscope.

'It's called nightsblood. Every five year old back home knows what it looks like and stays away from it.'

She doesn't say it in a condescending way, more wistful.

'Eleven. Agriculture and planting, right?' I ask, putting the pieces together in my head.

She nods.

'I used to run away into the woods for fun when I was younger. Had many encounters with different types of plants, good and bad. Well, never too bad since I'm still alive. My mom wasn't too happy about my wild side,' she grins, 'Not ladylike enough. Bet she regrets that now.'

She says it like she's already won the Games. Like her skills helped her win and she's going home to laugh it off with her mom and get to tell her she'd been right.

This makes me tense up, and an uncomfortable knot forms in my stomach.

'That should come in handy. Without the training I would've gobbled up those berries like candy,' I say to make polite conversation, but also to give me an air of vulnerability. If I come off as a little ditzy I may be overlooked by the other tributes, which would be an advantage.

'Guess it would be handy to have me around, wouldn't it?' She says, clicking at a few other plants and sorting them correctly. I frown a little at that, confused. Was she trying to form an alliance with me?

'I'm pretty useless though,' I say. I have a few useful skills in my inventory, but I don't want to showcase them just yet.

'The way you beat up that Peacekeeper says otherwise.'

Is that all any of the other tributes know me for? Wasn't the "star-crossed lovers from Six" concept enough for them to forget that?

I bite my lip.

'I'll think about it,' I say, 'But an alliance with me is an alliance with Luke. You know that?'

She nods.

'Of course. Just let me know if we're on the same side or not,' she winks at me and I'm not sure what to make of it. Are we sharing some funny little secret?

'Will do.'

'I'm Piper by the way. Just in case you forgot.'

'Annabeth, but you already knew that,' I say, a small smile tugging at my lips, and it's partially genuine. Piper begins her own plant sorting at the screen next to mine, leaving me on my own for now.

I sort the next five plants wrong. Frustrated, I try again, memorizing the way each plant looks and smells and how they either kill you or don't. Once I get everything right, I move on. I decide on shelter building, which sounds like something else I should really learn.

The manager explains the steps to me, then I hear: 'Mind if I join?'

My initial reaction is confusion. Why are so many people talking to me?

It's one of the siblings from Five. The female one. Her stylist apparently thought putting in streaks of electric blue in her black hair was a good idea. It's the exact same electric blue as her eyes.

'I'm pretty sure you don't have to ask,' I say.

She shrugs nonchalantly.

'Just because we have to kill each other doesn't mean small courtesies need to be thrown out the window, right?'

The knot in my stomach tightens.

'I guess,' I say hesitantly, 'You're Thalia right?'

'Right,' she confirms, 'Annabeth?'

I nod. Thalia and her brother Jason were on my list of dangerous people to watch out for. Anyone willing to volunteer in order to murder their own sibling had to be a psychopath. The fact that she'd remembered my name unsettled me. I was getting more attention than I bargained for.

She tilts her head to the side.

'You know we don't actually kill each other in training, right?'

I just nod again.

'I'm aware. It's just better to take precautions when your life is on the line, don't you think?'

Thalia snorts in distaste, surprising me.

'Yeah, what a great life each of us lead right?' She looks around, and spotting the Gamemakers giggling and twittering over their banquet again, her mouth lifts into a mischievous side smirk.

'Hey!' She yells out suddenly. Everyone in the gymnasium turns around to look at her, including the Gamemakers, and Thalia seems to revel in the attention.

'Hey, cocksuckers!' She addresses the Gamemakers directly now. I want to look away but I'm gobsmacked, 'Yeah, you. Fuck you,' she puts both her middle fingers up at them as their eyes go wide and their jaws hit the floor.

It becomes painfully silent as Thalia sits down cross-legged besides me, as though she didn't just sign her death warrant.

'So what did she say?' Thalia asks, referring to the station manager. I just stare at her, eyes wide.

She just rolls her eyes.

'Oh, come on. I know you have some fire in you,' she says somewhat teasingly. I'm a million times more on edge now. I can't help but think she's just made me a target for the tributes and Gamemakers alike.

'How would you know that?' I snap. If she brings up the reaping incident I don't know how I'll react. I glare at her and she scans my face for a second.

'Your reaction right now tells me enough,' she says, picking up an assortment of brambles and rope and vines, 'You don't glare at someone like that and have zero fire in you.'

I blink at her, trying to figure out her angle. If I'm going with logic, I definitely shouldn't trust this girl one bit, but I can't figure out why the knot in my stomach begins to untangle itself.

'It would be nice if you could help,' she says, gesturing with her head towards different assortments of building material organized in two rows. I snap out of my introspective trance and begin picking up different objects. I already have an idea of the shelter in mind, and I know where everything should be placed for it to hold strong. I don't know if I should basically give my skills away in front of Thalia, but I'm starting to believe she has no intent to harm me, even though my logic is screaming at me to be cautious because I'll be first on her hit-list. I sigh and decide that after her stunt, I should be more worried about the Gamemakers taking it out on me than this five foot tall girl with the boldness of a hundred men trapped inside her.

'I actually had something planned,' I tell her. A few other tributes come to the station to build their own shelters, and the manager goes over to help them. Thalia and I pick one if the areas sectioned using yellow lines painted onto the ground and get to work. Half an hour later we have a stable shelter with acceptable enough camouflaging. The station manager comes over to inspect it and recommends we try the camouflage station.

'You're really skilled at this,' Thalia says.

'District Six provides engineers. Its not that surprising,' I say, which is the truth, 'Our skills are mainly honed for transportation purposes, but the basics don't change.'

Thalia nods, 'Makes sense.'

She stands up and dusts her hands off on her pants. Thalia and I's conversation so far has not been exciting. I don't understand why she's hovering until she says: 'Keep the graces in mind for your survival,' she says, staring at me intensely for a good five seconds. I don't back down and stare right back, trying to process her sentence.

'I'll see you again at lunch,' she says simply and walks away to join her brother for a sparring session. I don't understand what she means by lunch until they announce that it'll be served in a dining room off the gymnasium. Luke and I eventually find one another and follow the rest of the tributes, arm in arm to at least try and maintain our united front.

For a group of kids that know their chances of survival are this low, the morale of the is oddly higher than I would have expected. I can point out two other alliances with an assortment of mismatched tributes. The starving tributes from Twelve have allied with the smiley blond boy from Eleven, Will, and as expected Percy has allied with his cousin, along with three others that don't make any sense. Why would the female tribute from One and the male Career from Two join them? And why would any of these four agree to the scrawny ginger with a premature goatee from Nine?

We reach the food display and I still don't have answers. The alliances seem to have popped out of nowhere, and the remaining tributes sit alone quietly. The food is arranged on carts so we can serve ourselves. Luke and I load our plates and move to sit at one of the free tables.

'How is it so far?' I ask him in a whisper, but I put on a smile so to the other tributes I look lovesick in a sickening manner. I can't even tell him we could possibly both live, since I gave Apollo my word. I'm being introduced to too many people at once, too quickly for me to develop a proper opinion of them. I just want to go home.

'I'm learning a lot.' A pause. 'I'm sorry I wandered off,' he's also faking a smile. He even reaches out and holds my hand for extra impact. My heart skips a beat and I hope he cant feel my pulse through my trembling hand. I'm so painfully stupid to fall for him. And he knows it so well, no matter how much I deny it. I thought my feelings were unnoticeable this whole time. My hand grows cold at the thought.

'It's okay.' I'm still smiling, 'As long as you benefit from the training.'

I'm about to tell him about Piper, when suddenly, Thalia and her brother pull out chairs to join us. I look to her, confused.

'What? I told you to keep the _Graces_ in mind, didn't I?'


	10. CHAPTER IX: PERCY

I'm sitting at a table with a disgruntled Kassi, an awkward Frank, a calculating Hazel and a twitchy Grover. None of this makes any sense, but it seems like we're all just going with it for whatever reason.

One thing I've learned is that I should really rethink my phrasing twice before I open my mouth. One minute I'm commenting positively on the fact that Grover can figure out in a second what can be made edible and what can't, the next he's glued to me under the impression that we're allies, prattling off about how useful he would be to me. And I'm the idiot that's too nice to burst his bubble. He looks stressed enough as it is. I'm also an idiot that seems to get easily attached to people, so there's that to consider as well.

I don't know why seeing me and Grover move from station to station gave the girl from One, Hazel, the impression that there was some grand plan she wasn't a part of. Hell, I think everyone was looking at us confusedly. It's most common for tributes from the same district to form an alliance, so this in itself was already weird with just Grover. Hazel approached me at the climbing station and demanded to be a part of "whatever was going on".

Answering honestly didn't seem to work with her, because according to several sources, I'm a Capitol favorite, so I must have leverage somehow. She was certain she could be of use to me, and spoke with so much confidence I couldn't say no. It's hard to believe that she's the same age as Kassi. Her aura feels older, more troubled.

I think Frank joined our nice little mismatched group against his will. I was actually scared of him at first, wary of his Career background, but he behaved like his being in the Games wasn't planned. Like he hadn't been training to kill the rest of us. I still don't know if that's an appropriate topic to bring up with the guy, so I've kept my mouth shut about it. He's part of our alliance mainly because of Kassi, who helped him with knot tying and somehow managed to convince him to join us. She seemed a little angry with me for having added Grover and Hazel to the mix, so she went and befriended a Career. Typical Kassi. I'm actually a little miffed myself. This behavior of hers is generally reserved for people at school giving her a hard time. We've been on good terms for so long, I actually forgot this side of her existed.

The rest of the tributes have been looking at us funny since we sat down for lunch. There are two other alliances I can spot, but they make a million times more sense than this one. Three of the seemingly emaciated tributes, both from Twelve and the male from Eleven, seem to have grouped together. Although they say birds of a feather flock together, I can't pinpoint exactly how their strategy will play out.

The third alliance is the one I'm worried about. It has the star-crossed lovers, the siblings and one of the most attractive tributes. Those are always audience favorites. I don't realize I'm touching my ear until I feel crusted blood. Annabeth is definitely dangerous. She managed to throw her knife with enough force for it to have caused damage when it only grazed past me. As for Luke, the male from Six, he seems to always have sadness and mischief in his eyes, which is a confusing blend. I saw him go through an obstacle course. He's surprisingly agile and quick on his feet. Let's not talk about the siblings from Five, Thalia and Jason. They are unbelievably unnerving, Thalia in a more obvious and brash way than Jason. In the middle of training she basically took a jab at the Gamemakers, like they wouldn't take it out on her or her family later. Or if they did, she didn't seem to care. I guess family isn't really on top of your priority list if you're volunteering to slaughter your own brother on screen.

I think I've made eye contact with Jason at least five times, and every time he gives a slight nod of his head, like we have a plan in action no one else knows about. I just nod back in response, because looking away in panic would make it even more awkward.

The girl with them is called Piper, I think. She looks a little sad but resolved. Her perfectly symmetrical face somehow makes it all work. The five of them seem to have a good dynamic and chemistry, which is what's worrying. They talk and laugh and are loud most of the time. It makes me uneasy. Our group has zero chemistry, and it feels suffocating to even sit together.

On the third day, I feel much more comfortable with both, my allies and my physical abilities. I've made sure to keep my skill with a trident hidden from the rest. The term "ally" means nothing when only one of us gets to live. Hazel and Kassi get along surprisingly well, and they've both been spending a lot of time together. I found out Frank is only sixteen and almost went into shock. He could pass for a twenty-five year-old, so I had just assumed he was eighteen. He assured me he only looks older as of recently, and that if he had any way to access old pictures, I'd see what he meant. He's is still a little awkward but I'm starting to attribute that to the possibility that he might have a thing for Hazel, which would be completely tragic. I don't plan on bringing it up. I just hope I'm wrong.

I realize that it doesn't even matter. It doesn't matter if Frank likes Hazel. Nothing matters at all at this point. By this time next year, only one of us will still be alive, and if things go my way, that person will be Kassi. At least I won't have to live with the guilt of killing anyone since I'll be dead myself.

They call the girl from Three, Nyssa, 've taken all the tributes from districts One to Three for their private sessions with the Gamemakers. I'm next. We're all sitting in the dining room, each of us trying to hide how nerve-wracking this is for us. I don't know why but I glance at the the "Golden Alliance", as it's being referred to. Annabeth and I lock eyes and I don't look away. I just give her a small nod and keep looking around. I can't tell why she unnerves me so much. I don't have much time to mull over it as they call my name.

'Good luck,' Kassi says as she gives me a small smile.

I walk into the gymnasium and look around. They've added a large array of weapons made of materials I probably didn't even know existed. I spot the tridents near the bow and arrow display. The Gamemakers seem to have already grown bored of the task at hand. I'm grateful my district is not too far down the list or they wouldn't even glance at me. I have most of their attention, but they seem to be focused on getting drunk on their fancy wine as they watch me. I gulp and walk to the trident array. I pick a few up, testing their weight and balance in my hands. I settle for one and look around the gymnasium. There's a shooting range set up, so I decide to start with those. I target three of the dummies and hit them all in the heart. There's some applause from the Gamemakers, but I feel like I need to do more to prove myself to them. My strength is best seen when dealing with swimming and water, but I need to make do. I need to think fast.

I decide to try and incorporate knife throwing into my demonstration. I remember this was the technique Finnick used during his Games, and I pray I can pull it off. I grab a handful of knives and stand at the edge of the line of dummies. I throw one of the knives at the first one and am relieved when its barely an inch away from the heart mark. I shoulder-roll forward and get back onto my feet quickly as I attempt a technique I've been practicing. I throw two knives simultaneously with both hands and they both hit two separate dummies right in the heart. I'm about to pick up the trident and target the boxing sandbag, but I feel it to be too underwhelming still. I aim at a light fixture hanging off the ceiling instead. I expect it to only send a shower of sparks in order to make me stand out a little more, but what happens instead is the entire place goes pitch black. I breathe heavily as all I can hear are the Gamemakers murmuring amongst themselves. The gymnasium is suddenly lit in red.

'Emergency lights,' one of the Gamemakers says, the distaste clear on his face. He whispers something to an Avox who nods and scuttles away.

'Percy Jackson,' another Gamemaker addresses me, 'Thank you. You are now dismissed.'

I'm blushing profusely as I rush out the exit. Thankfully, it seems like my stunt only affected the gymnasium. I hear rumbling and whirring for a few seconds and hope that the lights that have come back on. What was I thinking? I brush past the shocked Avoxes guarding the elevators and press the number four. The elevator zips upward to the fourth floor. My heart is racing at the possibility of my behavior being perceived as some form of rebellion. This is just as bad if not worse than what the Five female tribute pulled in the middle of practice. I rush past the others in the sitting room and bolt the door to my quarters. I press my back against it and slide down to the floor. What happens to me now? Will I be arrested? Executed? Turned into an Avox? Would they take this so personally they would target my family back home? I imagine Peacekeepers tearing the door to our little house down, yelling and violently thrashing my family around for punishment. Would they send my mother and my aunt to prison and take Tyson, Lance and Lily to the community home? What if they straight up killed them all and left their bodies in a pile at the doorstep for a few days to set an example? I shudder at the thought. Why didn't I stay apologize? Why did I just freeze there like a complete idiot? At least I didn't say anything disrespectful. Maybe they'll show some leniency and dismiss it as an accident.

'Percy,' Finnick knocks on my door, 'Percy, what happened?'

I don't trust Finnick one bit, but he is my mentor after all, so I stand up and unlock the door. He walks in and sits on one of the plush chairs in the seating corner. I join him.

'Tell me what happens,' he says, so I comply.

'I- I thought I would make them remember me, so I tried throwing knives at the dummies. Even did it with both hands.'

Finnick looks at me expectantly.

'That's not something to be upset about,' he says matter-of-factly.

'That's not it,' I say, ' I wanted to stand out so I sent a knife flying at one of the light fixtures for dramatic effect and instead, all the lights went out. Now they either think I have horrible aim or I was trying to pull some rebellious stunt. They- they won't hurt my family right? Or are they simply going to kill me?'

'They won't do anything. Trust me. They still need a male tribute from Four, right? And you didn't do anything to directly attack them, and it wasn't even public. They don't need to target your family to prove a point to the public,' he says pensively, 'However, what they do with your score, that all depends on how they process what happened.'

Since the only audience for the training is the Gamemakers, they announce a score for each tribute to set a starting line for the betting that happens throughout the Games. The score ranges from one to twelve, with one being the worst score and twelve being the best. This gives the audience an idea of the potential each tribute holds. The main thing the scores affect is our standing with the sponsors. I was hoping to get between an eight and a ten, seeing as I passed for a tribute and I knew I was good with a trident. Now, I didn't know what to expect.

Finnick seems to think the conversation is over as he gets up and leaves. I know I have a while before dinner. I didn't realize it, but the past three days if training took a toll on me. I'm exhausted. And if the Games are starting in a couple of days, might as well get some sleep now. I take a quick shower and get into bed. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I don't know how long it is before I can hear Kylie knocking at my door to call me to dinner. I don't even want to move. At this point, I wish I could die in my sleep. No. Of course I don't want to actually die. I just wish I could stop existing all together. I groan loudly into my pillow, hoping some of my frustration will go away. it doesn't help. I wipe the drool off my face with the back of my hand, go to wash my face and go to join everyone for dinner. I know they'll be televising the scores tonight, and I want to see how badly I've messed up my chances at survival.

Everyone is gathered around the table. Kylie is mid-conversation with Aphrodite and Krios, and all three burst out in controlled laughter at something she says. It's like they'll implode if they allow themselves to really laugh. Finnick, Kassi and Alaina are having a separate, more serious conversation on the side. I sit between Finnick and Kassi and accidentally make eye contact with Aphrodite. She winks at me and I blush. I bask in both embarrassment and guilt. I hope no one is focusing on me. I wish the stylists weren't here. I feel like I've just ruined all their hard work with a simple mistake. I sip at the orange soup set before me. I think it's pumpkin. I've only ever had pumpkin once in my life so I could be wrong. Kassi seems to be in a better mood. She's still cold with me and won't meet my eyes. I listen to the drone of the conversation around me. Something about the weather and how it's being regulated.

'Percy, Kassi... How did you do today, darlings?' Kylie says

Kassi shrugs. 'I think I did okay. I wasn't very impressive. I... don't really want to go into much detail.'

She casts a furtive glance at me then looks away quickly. 'I asked to be coached separately for a reason.'

Everyone at the table exchanges looks of discomfort.

This hurts. This hurts me so much I actually choke on the stupid soup and have to gulp down water frantically but discreetly. I try to do it in the most natural way possible though. Wouldn't want Kassi to think she has some sort of upper hand here. I don't know what's gotten into her. It feels like we're bickering like I've seen all siblings do, which is perfectly natural, but our lives are at stake here. Does she suddenly care about the Games? Does she actually think she has a shot at winning? A dark and twisted part of me wants her to get hurt. For the first time in my life, I feel loathing towards my cousin. I think back to aunt Julia's goodbye in the Justice Building. She was thanking me for trying to bring her daughter home safely. I wanted to put my life on the line for her, and I made that decision in a heartbeat. And I'd do it again given the chance. I know that if it came down to it, I would still try and protect her even if she didn't like it. The only silver lining to the entire situation is that Tyson could've been here instead of me. Instead he's starving safely at home. God bless the actual Careers for not wanting their five seconds of fame this year round.

Finnick starts up a conversation again to break the tension. I'm glad no one follows up and asks me how I did. I glance at Kassi for a second. She won't even look at me, her face set in a focused and stony expression as she eats her dessert of sweet rice pudding and dried fruit. I'm sad, angry, frustrated and tired, but at least dessert is good. I have three bowls of it. It's more comforting to feel painfully full then achingly hungry.

After dinner, we all move to the sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. First they show a photo of the tribute, then flash their score below it. I watch as the District 1 tributes, Hazel and Octavian, both earn an eight. No clue what Octavian could possibly have as skills to earn him an eight, but I decide that avoiding him is a good idea. Frank earns a ten, Clarisse a whopping eleven. I can feel my heart racing as we get closer to our scores. The District 3 Tributes earn high scores as well. Then it's my turn. I'm expecting the worst. I envision the number four flashing below my picture. But it's not a four. It's not a four. It's an eleven. The room erupts in cheers. Finnick pats me on the back. Aphrodite kisses both my cheeks and congratulates me. Nothing feels real. The presenters are commenting on each tribute. I don't hear what they say about me. Kassi's picture shows up on the screen and we're all quiet. She comes up with a seven, which is impressive for her size. I'm smiling against my will, but when I glance at her, tears are on the verge of running down her face as everyone congratulates her too. She suddenly storms off. They all call out for her to come back, but they're all still glued to the screen. I instinctively get up to follow her, but stop halfway and head to my room instead. I just lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling for a good while. I can't think. I need time to process everything that's happened. I need... fresh air. Ideally, I'd take a long walk on the beach to clear my head.

That's when it hits me. The building has a roof, and there has to be a way to access it. The elevator floors end at twelve, but maybe I could get there using stairs. I leave my room and look around for a staircase. It seems like I was zoned out long enough for the program to end and everyone to retire to their quarters. A few Avoxes lurk here and there, tidying up and preparing everything for tomorrow. I doubt any of them would pay much attention to what I do. I find the door to the stairway near the elevator. It's unlocked. I go up and up and up. All nine flights to the rooftop. I find myself in a dome-shaped room with a door to the outside. I step outside and breathe in deeply as the cool evening air hits my face. I should be distracted by the view of the twinkling Capitol at nighttime, but I can hear a sniffling sound over the faint whistling of the wind. I follow it around the corner. It's the female tribute from Six.


End file.
